By Buttons Padin
Images: © Arthur Daniel/RORC
Source: RORC
Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo (Larchmont YC, USA) has taken Multihull Line Honors in the 2024 Caribbean 600 in an elapsed time of 01 Day 08 Hrs 08 Mins and 40 Secs. Argo Crew: Jason Carroll, Weston Barlow, Chad Corning (New Rochelle, NY), Pete Cumming, Sam Goodchild, Chris Maxted, Charlie Ogletree, Brian Thompson.
Erik Maris’ MOD70 Zoulou (FRA) was the second boat to finish the RORC Caribbean 600 and was just 19 minutes behind Argo after over 32 hours of intense racing. Alexia Barrier’s MOD70 Limosa - The Famous Project (FRA), co-skippered by Dee Caffari, completed the Multihull Line Honours podium, finishing the race less than four hours behind Argo.
“This year’s race is like any other; it isn’t over until the final beat,” commented Argo’s Jason Carroll. “This year, we may not have had many lead changes, but Zoulou was right behind us at every single turn. Zoulou was forever closing in on us and we had to keep finding ways to protect our position. Honestly, I think Zoulou has shown a big step up in performance since the RORC Transatlantic Race; they were faster than us in a few situations. Limosa - The Famous Project has also shown a big improvement, which is great for them. They were very close with us and Zoulou the entire time; it’s great to see them refining their performance.”
This was the fifth RORC Caribbean 600 for Jason Carroll and the second time MOD70 Argo has taken Multihull Line honours. Argo’s 2022 race record remains intact (01 Day 05 Hrs 48 Mins 45 Secs).
“We love this race, it’s relatively close to home, with beautiful weather, scenery and people!” continued Jason Carroll. “It’s a nice length but still challenging as it’s super-active the entire time, keeping us all busy. It really is an awesome race with reaching conditions and plenty of turns, with new angles to keep you sharp and engaged; the Caribbean 600 is a very thought-provoking and fun race with great competition.”
Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo (USA)at the start © Tim Wright/Photoaction.com
RORC CEO Jeremy Wilton presents Jason Carroll with the Multihull Line Honours trophy © Arthur Daniel/RORC
Erik Maris’ Zoulou got off to a flyer, port tacking the 11-strong Multihull Fleet: “It was a great start, the plan worked but to be honest we were expecting to duck the fleet, not go over the top of them!” commented Erik Maris. “The race was like a massive game of cat and mouse; we thought we were going to catch Argo three or four times, but every time we caught up, they kept running away from us. We were pushing and pushing right to the end, but to no avail. We will get them next time.”
The Multihull Line Honours podium is complete with Argo winning the RORC Caribbean 600 Multihull Trophy. The three MOD70s are leading the class after MOCRA time correction.
IN OTHER NEWS: The second local boat in the race, Peter McWhinnie’s JPK 10.80 In Theory, continues to lead IRC Two but still has over 200 miles to the finish. The winds are down and In Theory’s last reported position had them going only 4.6 knots.
Tracker here.
