Tomorrow (Saturday 26 November), 14 yachts from 40-112ft will take the start of the third edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote, Canary Islands headed for Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina on the spice island of Grenada, Caribbean; some 2,865 nautical miles across the Atlantic. Competitors from 20 different nations will line up for the start at midday (1200 GMT) off Marina Lanzarote where the fleet have been generously hosted by Calero Marinas for the past week. The IRC classes and four Class40s are scheduled to start at 1200 GMT, followed 10 minutes later by the two MOD70s; Lloyd Thornburg's Phaedo and Giovanni Soldini's Italian Maserati, making an impressive sight for the spectators on and off the water as the fleet heads to the turning mark off Puerto Calero Marina and between the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura to the south. The fleet must then pass Tenerife before venturing into the Atlantic to finish outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada.

1. Ideal conditions for start of the RORC Transatlantic Race Lanzarote to Grenada 11/2016

2. Phaedo Prepares to Land. Day 7 of the RORC Transatlantic Race 12/2016

3. Day 14: RORC Transatlantic Race  12/2016

All yachts are fitted with YB Trackers. To follow the yachts as they race across the Atlantic visit: http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/tracking/2016-fleet-tracking.html

Race website:

Teams with satellite connection will be blogging stories, pictures and video telling the story of their race on the official race minsite: http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

Social Media:

Stories, pictures and videos will be found on the RORC social media channels:

Twitter:  #rorcrtr

RORC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoyalOceanRacingClub/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rorcracing/

Race Records:

The winner of the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy for best elapsed time under IRC in 2015 was Jean-Paul Riviere's 100ft Finot-Conq

Nomad IV also won IRC overall and the IMA Trophy for monohull line honours.

Nomad IV also set a new monohull record for the RORC Transatlantic Race: 10 days 07 hours 06 minutes and 59 seconds

Multihull Record: 5 days 22 hours 46 minutes 03 secondsLloyd Thornburg's MOD70, Phaedo3 was the first boat to arrive in the last race and set the multihull record for the race

Class40: 12 days 12 hours 36 minutes 32 seconds: Gonzalo Botin's Spanish Class40, Tales II was the first Class40 to complete the race in 2015, setting a Class40 record
Trophies:

RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy (IRC overall)

IMA Transatlantic Trophy (line honours monohull)

A new RORC Caribbean Series Trophy (best combined result in the RORC

Transatlantic Race + 2017 RORC Caribbean 600)

The third RORC Transatlantic Race starts in Lanzarote on Saturday 26th November 2016 and the 2,865 nautical mile race runs through the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic to arrive in Grenada

The race is run in association with the International Maxi Association (IMA)
THE ORGANISERS:

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 such as the RORC Easter Challenge and IRC National Championships in the Solent

The RORC works with other yacht clubs to promote their offshore races and provides marketing and organisational support. The RORC Caribbean 600 based in Antigua and the first offshore race in the Caribbean was an instant success, and in 2014 RORC extended its organisational expertise by creating the new RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada in November

The club is based in St James' Place, London and Cowes, Isle of Wight
In co-operation with the French offshore racing club, UNCL, RORC is responsible for IRC, the principal international handicap system for yacht racing 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

www.rorc.org

http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/

INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION (IMA):

The racing activities for the Maxi as a separate class started in Porto Cervo in 1980 with the first Maxi Yacht Cup. Immediately afterwards an association of the Maxi owners was founded under the name "International Class A Yacht Association" (ICAYA) with Baron E. de Rothschild elected the first President of the Class. The legal office was created in Geneva, Switzerland. "Class A" was the definition of a Maxi boat in the IOR rating system in force at that time. The following year Gianfranco Alberini was appointed first Secretary General of the Association. ICAYA organized the Maxi Yacht World Championship for many years in Porto Cervo as its European base, as well in other venues in USA - Honolulu, Newport R.I., Miami, St. Thomas, San Francisco. In Europe Puerto Portales, Antibes and Saint Tropez were selected as championship locations

When the definition "Class A" disappeared with the change from IOR it was decided to rename the Class as "International Maxi Association" (IMA). The Class is now registered in Geneva (Switzerland), has a base in Porto Cervo and an office in the USA, for rating and technical matters. The Class is now expanding its activities, and in 2010 the first Mini Maxi World Championship took place in September in Porto Cervo, Italy,  In 2011 the new Rolex Volcano Race opened the Mediterranean sailing season

Andrew McIrvine took over as Secretary General in 2013. In 2014 the pure racer Mini Maxis were reformed into the Maxi 72 Class. The IMA has organised previous Maxi Transatlantic races but this is the first in association with RORC. IMA has presented a vintage trophy for line honours for this new race

IMA is a recognized member of the IRC Congress. Since November 2010 ISAF has recognised the Maxis as an international class. This means that the International Maxi Association is now the sole authority with the right to hold World and Continental Maxi Championships

http://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

Enquiries: msymes@caleromarinas.com

GRENADA TOURISM AUTHORITY:

The premium yachting destination in the Southern Caribbean. Grenada and The Grenadines are widely considered to be the most unspoilt cruising grounds in the Caribbean. Famed for its people's warm and gregarious hospitality the 'Spice Island' of Grenada has a varied topography of mountains, rainforests and waterfalls, fringed by icing sugar beaches and cooled by trade winds www.puregrenada.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/discovergrenada

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/puregrenada

ABOUT CAMPER & NICHOLSONS MARINAS

Camper & Nicholsons 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 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 170 berths, including 30 superyacht berths for vessels from 25m to 90m LOA, and up to 7m draft

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

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