The Caribbean 600 is one of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s (RORC) flagship events, drawing a fortunate field of expert and amateur sailors to this stunning island region every February since 2009. This year, in the 100th anniversary of the RORC, it will be an extra special one.   You could join the field with us on the VO65 yacht Sisi – and here are 10 reasons why you should make this event your next great sailing adventure.  

International field The 2024 race involved a field of 64 boats, with 561 sailors from all around the world. It started with 17kt tradewinds but unstable weather, ranging from flat calm to 30kt squalls, led to a complex and tactical battle in the concluding stages. The overall winner was actually one of the event’s founding entries, Leopard 3 – thanks, partly, to a speed-boosting refit.

Famous participants The race has attracted many high profile participants from the world of sailing including – to name a few – Olympic medallists Andy Hemmings, Richard Clarke, and Jonathan McKee; Vendée Globe and Jules Verne winner Brian Thompson; two-time Volvo Ocean Race winning skipper Mike Sanderson; and America’s Cup winners Shannon Falcone and Peter Isler.

Post-race celebrations   As would be expected on a Caribbean party island, the event is famed for its lively post-race prize giving ceremony . Every year it welcomes a popular local band – last year it was Asha Otto and Itchy Feet – and the crews, organisers and volunteers celebrate into the early hours with warm smiles and cold Carib beer.

A range of classes  

The race has four competition categories – each with an overall winner – and a total of 10 classes. The International Racing Certificate (IRC) handicap has class winners for Super Zero, Zero, One, Two and Two Handed; Class 40 has Scow and Pointy classes; Multihull has a single class; and the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) has classes One and Two.

Changing conditions

The complex weather and water systems around the island-circling figure-of-eight course creates unpredictable conditions , including changing tides, shadowing winds, acceleration zones and sea states ranging from calm to rough. All this requires keen strategic planning, constant vigilance and quick decision-making from crews to deliver a good result.

Stunning island sights

The course passes close to 11 different islands including Barbuda, with its pink beaches; Saint Kitts and Nevis, with its famous volcano ; rugged Saba; the rich and famous playground of St. Barthélemy; cultural Saint Marten; the volcanic island of Montserrat ; and the biggest, Guadeloupe, also known as Saint Marie in the BBC’s global hit show Death in Paradise .

Record breakers

The race is highly competitive and the monohull record was set in 2018 by Rambler 88, skippered by George David, with a time of 1 day 13 hrs 41 mins and 45 secs. In 2022, MOD70 Argo, skippered by Jason Carroll, set the multihull record (1d5h48m45s) and Warrior Won, skippered by Christopher Sheehan, took the IRC Record (3d10h9m41s, IRC Corrected).

Spectacular sea life

The Caribbean waters are teaming with marine life and participants will often sail alongside dolphins and flying fish and have even encountered reef sharks, whales and hawksbill turtles. The course passes near several marine protected areas, highlighting the region's commitment to preserving its rich biodiversity.

Georgian dockyards and ‘80s pop

The race departs from the world-famous Antigua Yacht Club, which sits on the shores of Falmouth Harbour, just west of English Harbour. This area is home to Nelson's Dockyard, the world’s only continuously working Georgian-era dockyard, and was also the setting for the iconic 1980s pop video for British band Duran Duran’s song, Rio.

A yacht with pedigree

The 65ft VO65-class yacht  Sisi  was designed by Farr Yacht Design in the USA for the Volvo Ocean Race 2014/15, with a perfectly refined balance of manoeuvrability and speed. She won a leg of The Ocean Race Europe in 2021 and at the 2024 Caribbean 600, racing in the IRC Super Zero class, she placed fourth in class and 18th overall .