While those of us in Portishead were readying our boats for the season ahead, hoping that the weather bucks up soon, committee member Ian Bloxham and PCC member Tim Harcombe recently headed to Antigua to take part in the Nelson’s Cup Regatta and the RORC Caribbean 600 (C600), the latter being a non-stop 600 nautical mile offshore race, which weaves its way through eleven Caribbean islands.
The C600 attracts an international fleet of over 600 sailors and all types of yachts – from the huge super-maxis and multi-hulls, through to IRC boats. Ian and Tim were racing aboard Faenol, a First 36 from Pwllheli Yacht Club under IRC 2.
The conditions for this year’s event were challenging for all crews, with 20+ knot breezes and large ocean swells. The trade winds had also shifted slightly to be more southerly than usual which led to longer upwind legs, particularly the 50Nm closing stretch between Redonda and the English Harbour finish line. The party on the dock soon made the endurance at sea very worthwhile though!!
Ian said, “It was an amazing experience to be part of such a prestigious and international fleet. We were very pleased with our position of 7th in class and 28th overall.”
Congratulations to Ian and Tim on completing the course and welcome back! Just in time to join the PCC Spring 2026 race series, albeit a slightly different proposition!
