RORC STARS

RUPERT HOLMES reports on the first two events of the RORC 2020 season and speaks to Trevor Middleton, owner of last year’s winner Black Sheep

- RUPERT HOLMES

While there has to be some doubt as to just how much of the RORC 2020 season will take place, the first two races – the RORC Transatlantic and the Caribbean 600 – have already produced stunning sailing for more than 70 yachts.

Once again, a doublehanded boat is well placed in the early stages of the Season’s Points Championship. Richard Palmer’s JPK10.10 Jangada, with Jeremy Waitt and your scribe alternating as coskippers, narrowly missed winning the title in 2018, taking the runner-up slot just 11.5 points behind British Soldier.

This year, Palmer and Waitt finished the Transatlantic Race in 17 days. It was a performance that saw Jangada take overall victory on corrected time, ahead of significantly larger yachts, including the Wally 100 Dark Shadow and the VOR65 Childhood 1, sailed by Bouwe Bekking.

“This win absolutely exceeded all our expectations – a great start to the season!” Richard said, after finishing in Grenada. “The competition certainly gave us a run for our money. Childhood 1 was doing 20 knots and we could never match that speed. Pata Negra was hitting 12 knots, but we just said ‘bring it on’ and raced hard all the way to the finish. Persistence and perseverance were the key to keep going for each three-hour watch. It was hard work, but it paid off.”