Let’s go down to the Caribbean, win a race, and drink a barrel of rum.”
A good plan for the cold, short days of February, and Peter Aschenbrenner’s crew tore through their three-point checklist. In strong tradewinds and rough seas, this was the fastest Caribbean 600 races in its ten-year history, and Aschenbrenner’s Irens 63 trimaran Paradox blasted round to set a new course record of 1d 13h.
“Brutal, fast, wet, intense,” is how he described it. The fastest sailor in the world, Paul Larsen, his eyeballs sandpapered by a continual barrage of spray, says this race is “a beauty”.
“The foilers, the cruisers, the compromises...,” he says. “This race was a leveller.”
On the heels of Paradox, was George David’s famous Rambler 88, roaring back across the finish line…