By Ossian Shine
Jan 18 (Reuters) – A revolutionary 34-metre yacht has rewritten the rulebook for offshore sailing, completing a 3,000-nautical-mile Atlantic crossing in just under seven days to claim monohull line honours and set a new race record in the 2026 RORC Transatlantic Race.
MOD70 trimaran Argo took overall line honours on Friday with a crossing of four days, 23 hours, 51 minutes and 15 seconds.
The Baltic 111 Raven, skippered by Damien Durchon, crossed the finish line at English Harbour, Antigua, on Sunday at a blistering 30 knots, completing the journey from Lanzarote in six days and 22 hours. The foil-assisted yacht represents what its crew describes as “a new chapter in offshore maxi yacht design.”
“At 30 knots and above, you’re moving quicker than the waves themselves,” explained Durchon. “You’re working your way through the sea rather than reacting to it. It’s demanding, but the boat remains remarkably manageable.”
Unlike fully flying foilers, Raven generates enormous stability through side foils while remaining largely in the water.
“This boat is incredibly stable,” said Durchon. “The better it performs, the safer it becomes. We have huge righting moment from the foils, backed up by 10 tons of water ballast.”
Project Manager Claes Nyloef believes the yacht points toward the future of ocean racing. “When she starts accelerating, it doesn’t stop,” he said. “It’s breathtaking. Previously you only experienced that sensation on multihulls. Now you can feel it on a monohull of this size, and it’s extraordinary.”
The victory earned Raven the IMA Transatlantic Trophy, presented by Antigua’s Tourism Minister Charles ‘Max’ Fernandez, who welcomed the yacht as the first maxi to finish at the race’s new Caribbean destination.
First staged in its modern form in 2014, the RORC Transatlantic Race has quickly established itself as one of offshore sailing’s premier blue-water contests.
Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in partnership with bodies including the International Maxi Association and the Yacht Club de France, it has earned a reputation for both competitiveness and depth of field.
Run on a biennial cycle, recent editions have been held each January, sending fleets west from Marina Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to the Caribbean across a course of around 3,000 nautical miles.
The race attracts an exceptionally broad mix of boats and crews, ranging from state-of-the-art multihulls and grand-prix monohulls to powerful IRC contenders and Corinthian teams.
A defining feature is the way it blends sailing’s elite — Olympic medallists, America’s Cup sailors and round-the-world veterans — with determined amateurs, all tested by prolonged trade-wind conditions where seamanship, preparation and tactical judgement matter as much as raw speed.
(Editing by Toby Davis)
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