RORC Transatlantic Race 2023 Start

Photos: 2023 RORC Transatlantic Race / © James Tomlinson / © James Mitchell

Three MOD70 participating, Snowflake, Zoulou & Maserati. Leaderboard / Tracking here

Text below by RORC Transat 2023. Official web rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/

RORC Transatlantic Race 2023 Start

Sunday 9th January, Lanzarote: A flotilla of spectator boats and a huge crowd in Marina Lanzarote witnessed the start of the 2023 RORC Transatlantic Race.

Supported by Calero Marinas, the International Maxi Association and the Yacht Club de France, the RORC Transatlantic Race started In glorious conditions, the fleet got away to a clean downwind start, a mile from Marina Lanzarote. The RORC fleet were in full view of spectators along the seafront of Arrecife, Lanzarote’s capital. As the boats rounded the turning mark outside Puerto Calero, well-wishes shouted encouragement from a pack of ribs and an armada of cruising boats.

After passing under the volcanic mountains of the Los Ajaches National Park, the fleet raced through the narrow Strait of Bocaina which divides Lanzarote from Fuerteventura. The RORC fleet must leave Tenerife to port, before heading into the wide expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The next mark of the course is 3,000 miles away across the Atlantic. Glover Island is just a few miles from the finish outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada.

José Juan Calero, Managing Director of Calero Marinas commented at the start: “Nine years ago with the RORC, we decided to create a proper race across the Atlantic. Today, anyone in the world that wants to race across the Atlantic Ocean will be looking at this race. This year it has been so amazing to see the people of Lanzarote getting more involved. We had a thousand people in Marina Lanzarote to give the teams a great send off, and our complimentary spectator boat was completely full of 130 people watching the start from the water. This has been an amazing and beautiful experience; we are so very, very happy.”

MULTIHULL CLASS
Three powerful 70ft trimarans approached the line on port, but undoubtedly the smallest multihull in the race won the start. Vincent Willemart’s TS42 Banzai (BEL) approached the line on starboard, and with right of way, the trimarans respectfully gave way. Frank Slootman’s MOD70 Snowflake (USA), skippered by Gavin Brady, and MOD70 Zoulou (FRA), with Erik Maris at the helm, soon powered up. However, Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 (ITA) was not the quickest in light airs, with its four foils more a hinderance in low wind speed. At 17:15 UTC Snowflake was achieving 18 knots of boat speed, a mile ahead of Zoulou, with Maserati four miles astern.

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More at https://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/race-updates/champagne-start-for-rorc-transatlantic-race.html