The 12th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race got underway in near-perfect conditions off Lanzarote.
The international fleet raced into the Atlantic on Sunday 11 January 2026 from Marina Lanzarote, Canary Islands and will finish in Antigua.
Conditions for the start of the RORC Transatlantic Race were close to ideal, with a steady northeasterly breeze of around 12 knots building into the mid-teens and clear skies delivering a comfortable 20 degrees of warmth
The monohulls racing for the overall win under IRC were first to start with a very competitive dial-up to the downwind start.
Olivier Magre’s Mach 50 Palanad 4 was first to cross the line. Baltic 111 Raven, skippered by Damien Durchon, powered through very quickly before driving off and crossing the fleet on port and heading offshore. Raven was leading on the water, achieving 14 knots of boat speed and more. The early leader on IRC corrected time is Ino Noir. T
The second start featured the four multihulls in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo was first to the Puerto Calero mark, even ahead of Raven that had started 10 minutes in front of them.
Three hours into the race, MOD70s Zoulou and Argo were sailing at 25 knots, almost side by side spearing towards the African Coast. Raven led the monohull fleet and put in a big gybe west towards the rhumb line.
The rest of the international fleet behind the front runners were tightly bunched on a fast broad reach along the east coast of Fuerteventura.
The RORC Transatlantic Race forms part of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Season Points Championships, which for 2026 includes the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the RORC Caribbean 600, the Round Britain & Ireland Race and the Baltic Sea Race.
