RORC Transatlantic Race: Aragon finish in style

The second boat to finish the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race was Jochen Bovenkamp's Marten 72 Aragon, crossing the finish line in Grenada at 07 hrs 49 mins 37 secs UTC on Friday 8 December. Completing the race in an elapsed time of 12 days 19 hrs 49 mins 37 secs, the powerful Maxi showed a tremendous turn of speed in the last 24 hours to power ahead of their close rivals. Aragon now takes the overall lead after IRC time correction for the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy.

RORC Admiral and IMA Secretary General, Andrew McIrvine and Port Louis Marina General Manager, Glynn Thomas welcomed Aragon and her team on arrival at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina. Once safely docked, the crew enjoyed an ice-cold beer for the first time in nearly two weeks.

"It was a very enjoyable race with a real racing boat and a great crew. I have learnt so much," said Jochen Bovenkamp who had chartered the Marten 72 for the 4th edition of the race. "There are so many memorable moments from the race, especially sailing at 23 knots downwind with a wake like a speedboat at the stern - just incredible! Back in Germany it is very cold now, but we have had such a warm welcome in Grenada."

"This year we always had wind to sail into. The only barrier was the high pressure shortly after the start," explained Aragon's Boat Captain Nico Lecarpentier. "Aragon was chartered for this race, so we had some crew that were completely new to this type of boat. This is a real race for sure and in the last five days we pushed the hardest. The crew became a great unit and it was really tight racing with Outsider, Sorceress and Teasing Machine. We spent most of the race battling with them on the water. It is fantastic to arrive in Port Louis, surrounded by some of the world's largest superyachts, which is a little different to last year."

Aragon is the provisional overall leader for the RORC Transatlantic Race, completing the 3,000 nautical mile race over three hours quicker than their overall win in 2016. However, Eric de Turckheim's French Teasing Machine is currently 113 miles from the finish and is estimated to be on track to finish the race well ahead of Aragon's corrected time. Will Apold's Canadian Southern Wind 96 Sorceress and Tilmar Hansen's German Elliott 52 Outsider are all expected to finish the race later today.

Follow the fleet and watch the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race unfold: 

Minisite: http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/ 

YB Race Tracker: http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/tracking/2017-fleet-tracking.html
Individual yachts, classes or the whole fleet can be tracked throughout the race

ENDS

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Atlantic Anniversary Regatta: #AAR

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Media Requests:

Trish Jenkins - Press Officer

RORC Transatlantic Race

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THE RORC TRANSATLANTIC RACE 2017 - leg 1 of THE ATLANTIC ANNIVERSARY REGATTA:

The westbound leg of the celebratory Atlantic Anniversary Regatta incorporates the 4th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race, an annual race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with the International Maxi Association (IMA) http://www.internationalmaxiassociation.com 

The fleet will depart from Marina Lanzarote on Saturday 25th November 2017 and the 2,995 nautical mile race runs through the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic to arrive at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada

Established in 1925, The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) became famous for the biennial Fastnet Race and the international team event, the Admiral's Cup. It organises an annual series of domestic offshore races from its base in Cowes as well as inshore regattas including the RORC Easter Challenge and IRC National Championship in the Solent

The club is based in St James' Place, London, but after a merger with The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes, now boasts a superb clubhouse facility at the entrance to Cowes Harbour and a membership of over 4000

Race minisite: http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/ 

RORC website: www.rorc.org

Twitter: #rorctransatlanticrace @RORCracing

Facebook: www.facebook.com/royaloceanracingclub

Instagram: instagram.com/rorcracing 

The AAR is a celebration of the jubilees of two of the most highly regarded sailing clubs in the world - the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) from Hamburg (150th anniversary) and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) from Sardinia (50th anniversary)

It is an extraordinary series of events spanning a 9-month period between November 2017 and July 2018, connecting Grenada and Bermuda with the vibrant maritime metropolis of Hamburg

Starts: Westbound (Lanzarote - Grenada) - Saturday 25th November 2017, Eastbound (Bermuda - Hamburg) - Saturday 7th July 2018

It is the first regatta series to cross the Atlantic ocean twice, in both directions

The regatta is supported by: The Royal Ocean Racing Club; Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, International Maxi Class Association, Segler-Vereinigung Cuxhaven.

http://anniversary-regatta.com

https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticAnniversaryRegatta @AtlanticAnniversaryRegatta

#AAR

RORC RATING:

The RORC has also been a leader in yacht handicap systems and in co-operation with the French offshore racing club, UNCL, created IRC - the principal yacht measurement system for the rating of racing yachts worldwide

The Spinlock IRC rating rule is administered jointly by the RORC Rating Office in Lymington, UK and UNCL Centre de Calcul in Paris, France

The RORC Rating Office is the technical hub of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and recognised globally as a centre of excellence for measurement. For Spinlock IRC rating information in the UK please see: www.rorcrating.com and for IRC rating globally www.ircrating.org 

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THE INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION (IMA):

The International Maxi Association (IMA) represents owners of Maxi yachts worldwide

Recognised in 2010 as the World Sailing international class of Maxi yachts, the IMA has the exclusive right to organise World championships for Maxi yachts. The current President of the IMA is Thomas Bscher, the Secretary General is Andrew McIrvine, also Admiral of the Royal Ocean Racing Club

The IMA has been closely associated with the RORC Transatlantic Race since its inception. The IMA is registered in Geneva, has a base in Porto Cervo and an office in the UK, for rating and technical matters. It has two affiliated classes (Maxi 72s, and J Class) and one associated class (Wally Class). The IMA's function is to 'guide, structure and encourage maxi yacht racing worldwide

The IMA rule defines and categorises maxi yachts: it aims to embrace all maxi yachts and encourage any development that has a positive effect on the construction and performance of maxi yachts'

www.internationalmaxiassociation.com

CALERO MARINAS: 
 

Calero Marinas has developed and manages three marinas in the Canary Islands, having accrued over 35 years' experience in the sector. The Canaries' warm climate and regular supply of breeze has lead Lanzarote to become a favourite training ground for offshore race teams, whilst the combination of good flight connections and easily available services has created a popular and reliable base for international sailors

Marina Lanzarote is the newest addition to the group with secure berthing for vessels of up to 60m LOA, a wide range of services and the advantage of having the city and maritime quarter within a few minutes' walk

The shipyard is equipped to hoist superyachts and the inclusion of deep keel pits in the yard's design was considered especially to meet the needs of transoceanic racing yachts

www.caleromarinas.com 

https://www.facebook.com/CaleroMarinas/ @CaleroMarinas 

Enquiries: msymes@caleromarinas.com 

Other social media handles: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Canary.Islands.Tourism 

#CanaryIslands, Twitter: @CanaryIslandsEN, #CanaryIslands, Instagram: theCanaryIslands - #CanaryIslands. Lanzarote: FB: @Visit Lanzarote -# Lanzarote, Twitter: @TurismoLZT - #Lanzarote, Instagram : turismolzt - #Lanzarote. Arrecife: @Turismo Arrecife, Real Club Náutico de Arrecife:  https://www.facebook.com/rcna.info, @rcna.info

CAMPER & NICHOLSONS MARINAS:

Camper & Nicholsons Marinas is widely recognised to be one of the world's oldest and most prestigious yachting business names, with origins dating back to 1782

The company has specialised in marina and waterfront development for over 40 years and has provided services to clients in more than 25 countries worldwide. Projects range from small marinas through to developments of over 500 hectares

Camper & Nicholsons Marinas Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Camper & Nicholsons Marina Investments Limited, listed on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange. Camper & Nicholsons Marinas currently operate marinas in Grenada, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey and the UK, with over 30 new projects currently under way all over the world

Owned and managed by Camper & Nicholsons Marinas, Port Louis Marina has transformed Grenada's yachting facilities. Overlooking the historic capital St Georges and designed to reflect the traditional Creole architecture, the marina offers 159 berths, including 30 superyacht berths for vessels from 25m to 90m LOA, and up to 6m draft

For more information about Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina visit: www.cnmarinas.com/plm 

Twitter: @portlouismarina

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GRENADA TOURISM AUTHORITY:

The premium yachting destination in the southern Caribbean, Grenada and its sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique are widely considered to be the most unspoiled cruising grounds in the Caribbean. Famed for its people's warm and gregarious hospitality Pure Grenada, the Spice of the Caribbean has a varied topography of mountains, rainforests and waterfalls, fringed by icing sugar beaches and cooled by trade winds.

www.puregrenada.com

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