Palanad 4 E.Leclerc (FRA), skippered by Antoine Magre, took victory in the RORC Caribbean 600 IRC Zero.
The IRC Zero contest featured a sustained battle between Palanad 4, James Neville’s Ino Noir (GBR), Niklas Zennström’s Rán (SWE) and Frederic Puzin’s Daguet 5 (FRA). The margins remained tight throughout, with the outcome decided only on the final beat to Antigua.
Mach 50 Palanad 4 finished with class Zero line honours in an elapsed time of 2d 10:32:31 and posting the best IRC corrected time to secure the class win.
James Neville’s Carkeek 45 Ino Noir took a bold but calculated gamble on the very last leg to finish second on IRC corrected time by a slim margin. Niklas Zennstrom’s’s Rán completed the podium.
While Ino Noir made bold tactical calls, Palanad 4’s race was defined by sustained performance across the full range of conditions.
“About 120 degrees true wind angle in 20 knots – that’s where we are very strong,” Harris said. On those reaching legs, the Mach 50 delivered decisive speed. “That was sublime,” Magre confirmed.
Crucially, Palanad 4 also performed well on the stronger upwind sections late in the race. “The windier it gets, the better we go upwind,” Magre said.
Across 600 miles, Palanad 4 maintained a high level of execution. “We didn’t sail perfect,” Magre acknowledged. “But we were on point most of the time.” That consistency proved decisive.
