Sailing-Black Jack edges Leopard in classic race as Argo blitzes to multihull glory

By Ossian Shine

Feb 25 (Reuters) - Remon Vos' Black Jack 100 claimed monohull line honours in the 2026 RORC Caribbean 600 on Wednesday, in one of the finest 100-foot match races the event has witnessed.

Skippered by Tristan Le Brun, Black Jack 100 completed the 600-mile course in one day 20 hours, 31 minutes 36 seconds, edging out Farr 100 Leopard 3 in a battle that swung dramatically around the Caribbean islands.

The monohull victory came after Jason Carroll's MOD70 Argo had claimed multihull line honours on Wednesday with a blistering time of one day, 12 hours, 1 minute and 46 seconds, finishing just one mile ahead of Jon Desmond's Final Final Zoulou.

"We expected it to be crowded," said Carroll, referring to the 11-boat multihull start. "We knew we'd be faster than most of the fleet and that we'd have to make our way through. We ducked the line slightly late, but we felt comfortable we could tack and cross. We weren't sure we'd be across Final Final – Zoulou, but we were, by about a length."

Desmond's crew, newer to their MOD70, had modest ambitions that evolved into something special.

"Our expectations were simple," Desmond said. "We wanted to go around an awesome race course, stay as close to Argo as we could and learn as much as possible. That's one of the best teams in the world."

The monohull contest was pure drama. Leopard 3 seized an early 17-second advantage with a perfect start, using new daggerboards to climb over Black Jack upwind. "Leopard is heavier with more righting moment," Le Brun said. "From 15 to 20 knots upwind she will be faster, we knew this would be the reality."

The decisive moment came in Guadeloupe's notorious wind shadow. Navigator Max Deckers positioned Black Jack perfectly along the coastline for "the shortest route, the quickest transition," while Leopard lost ground further inshore.

Carroll praised Final Final Zoulou: "They did an incredible job. For it being their fourth or fifth day on a MOD70, that was really impressive." Desmond was equally gracious: "Argo is one of the best teams in the world. The fact that we were duking it out with them for the last couple hundred miles was so special."

Starting and finishing in English Harbour, the Caribbean 600 course loops around 11 islands — including Barbuda, Nevis and Guadeloupe — mixing open-water legs with tighter, tactical sections in the lee of headlands.

More than 50 boats and nearly 500 sailors from more than 30 countries were competing in the 2026 race.