DAY 2 – RORC NELSON’S CUP SERIES Wednesday 18 February 2026

Battles and Razor-Thin Margins

For the second day of racing at the 2026 RORC Nelson’s Cup Series, the easterly breeze was a steady 16 knots, marginally stronger than the first day, but in comparison to a rainy opener, the glorious Caribbean sunshine lasted throughout. The superb conditions were used to the full by the RORC Race Committee with two more outstanding races off Fort Charlotte on Antigua’s south coast.

Today’s course featured the deep-water mark Rupert, positioned 2nm offshore to the south of the start. The leg out to Rupert produced exhilarating reaching conditions into the Caribbean Sea before the fleet returned towards Nelson’s Dockyard, finishing beneath the dramatic Pillars of Hercules.

Wendy Schmidt’s Botin 85 Deep Blue © Tim Wright/RORC

In the IRC Maxi Class it was a superb day for Wendy Schmidt’s Botin 85 Deep Blue with straight bullets in both races, including Race Four which was a win by just three seconds after IRC time correction from Chris Flowers’ RP100 Galateia. Jono Swain, trimming on board reflects on a perfect day on the water for Deep Blue.

“It was a really good day for us,” commented multiple round the world and America’s  Cup sailor Jono Swain.  “Big Blue is going noticeably better and we’re starting to see the rewards of the modifications we’ve made over the last year. Some of those changes were significant, others were small refinements, but together they’ve made a real difference. We’ve also adjusted the set-up slightly, and it all seems to be coming together.

“Wendy drove exceptionally well today. What she gets out of this is the camaraderie, the teamwork and the satisfaction of doing it together. Whether we have a good day or a tough one, she’s always positive. Even if the rest of us are frustrated, she keeps the energy up and reminds everyone we’re out here doing something special.

“The second start was key. As one of the smaller boats in the Maxi fleet, we can’t always position ourselves exactly where we’d like, especially between the cliffs and the bigger boats. We had to be patient, wait for them to commit, then roll over the top with speed. Downwind we felt strong as well, particularly at our angles.

“To win by 3 seconds on IRC corrected time shows how tight it is. You can always find 3 seconds you could lose, so we’re pleased it went our way today.”

Vic Cox & Peter Dunlop’s Corinthian Welsh J/122 Mojito © Tim Wright/RORC

Deep Blue was not the only team with straight bullets today. In IRC Two, Vic Cox & Peter Dunlop’s Corinthian Welsh J/122 Mojito was the winner of both of today’s races. This is the second year in a row that the team have brought the boat out to Antigua for the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series and the RORC Caribbean 600.

“It was a brilliant day for Mojito. The conditions were good for us, although we actually thought they might favour Jackknife, so we were slightly worried they’d get the better of us again. There’s already been a bit of friendly banter flying around on the Welsh WhatsApp group!

“The racing was really tight, especially on the reaching legs, but we felt strong upwind. That’s traditionally our forte and we managed to make gains there. The team really focused on the downwind legs as well – there was plenty of shouting at me on the helm to make sure we hit our numbers. It was so close that I was probably complaining more than I should have, but the guys trimmed beautifully and made it happen.

“The legs out to the deep-water mark were fantastic. Downwind felt sweet, everything in sync, and when the boat’s balanced like that it’s a joy to drive.

“There’s still one race to go and it’s all to play for. The Antigua 360 tends to favour the locals and it’s a great test ahead of the bigger race to come. We’ll try to execute cleanly and see where we end up.”

Bruce Chafee and his team on RP42 Rikki © Tim Wright/RORC

It was an up and down day for Bruce Chafee and his team on RP42 Rikki, which hails from Rhode Island USA with some crew from Maine. A fifth in Race 3 was followed by a win for the last race. Rikki scored two wins on the first day, so still leads the class, but only by a point. Fellow American Woody Cullen with his Swan 58 WaveWalker is the competition with just the Antigua 360 to come.

“Race Three we didn’t start as well as we’d hoped and then made a significant navigational error at one of the marks,” admitted Bruce Chafee. “We unwound it as best we could, but that mistake cost us. The real question was whether we could reset mentally and come back strong in the second race.

“The good news is this team is resilient. We dug deep, sailed hard and executed properly in the final race, and to come back with a bullet after that earlier mistake says a lot about the group.

“Looking ahead to the Antigua 360, we know it’s going to be challenging. WaveWalker is a big, powerful boat that really trucks along in waves, so conditions will play a part. We’ll need opportunities to stay in phase and keep pressure on. Whatever happens in the final race, we know we’ve got the depth to fight for it.”

The RORC Nelson’s Cup Series continues tomorrow, Thursday 19 February, with the IRC Maxi Class competing in the International Maxi Association Race Day, concluding their series.

The remainder of the fleet will enjoy a lay day before Friday’s 48nm Antigua 360 Race. A fleet of 29 boats is entered for the circumnavigation of Antigua, alongside multihulls and yachts racing under the CSA Rule.

Full Results here: https://sailracehq.com/results/event/338e133f-171e-4d29-b64e-93c01756ac9f

Afazik Impulse and Daguet 5 - RORC Nelson's Cup 2026 © Tim Wright/RORC

IRC Precision Defines Day Two at the RORC Nelson’s Cup

The Devil’s in the detail, which showed how the IRC Rule created some incredibly close finishes on Day Two of the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series.

With the breeze holding steady but backing slightly north of east, the RORC Race Committee set courses testing every wind angle, culminating in a grandstand broad reach finish under the Pillars of Hercules at the entrance to Nelson’s Dockyard.

RACE 3

IRC Maxi


Wendy Schmidt’s Botin 85 Deep Blue took victory on IRC corrected time, finishing 1m 50s ahead of Karel Komárek’s Mills 100 V, which had claimed line honours but settled for second after correction. Farr 100 Leopard 3, helmed by Joost Schuijff, completed the podium just 8 seconds behind V on IRC corrected time.

IRC Zero


Niklas Zennström’s Carkeek 52 Rán secured victory on IRC corrected time, finishing 1m 22s ahead of James Neville’s Carkeek 45 Ino Noir. Third went to Frédéric Puzin’s Carkeek 54 Daguet 5, a further 36 seconds behind on IRC corrected time, meaning less than 2 minutes sepsrating the three after correction.

IRC One


Woody Cullen’s Swan 58 WaveWalker claimed the win on IRC corrected time, finishing 1m 44s ahead of Dan Segalowicz’s Solaris 55 Team 42. Yves Grosjean’s Neo 430 Afazik Impulse (Neojivaro) took third, 93 seconds behind Team 42 on IRC corrected time.

IRC Two


Peter Dunlop & Victoria Cox’s J/122 Mojito powered to victory on IRC corrected time, finishing 1m 10s ahead of Andrew & Sam Hall’s J/125 Jackknife. Bernie Evan-Wong’s Mumm 36 High Tension was just 16 seconds behind Jackknife on IRC corrected time.

RACE 4


IRC Maxi
Deep Blue continued her strong form, winning on IRC corrected time by just 3 seconds over Mike Atkinson’s RP100 Galateia. Leopard 3 placed third, 26 seconds behind Galateia after correction.

IRC Zero

Team Rán once again topped the IRC corrected-time leaderboard, finishing an uber 3m 32s ahead of Ino Noir. Daguet 5 corrected into third, 21 seconds behind Ino Noir. Rán now leads the series with three wins from four races. Daguet 5 holds a 1-point advantage over Ino Noir going into the Antigua 360.

IRC One

Bruce Chafee’s RP42 Rikki won on IRC corrected time by a massive 3m 14s over Jim Voss’ RP37 Warthog. WaveWalker was third.

Rikki sits in pole position for the class with WaveWalker second by a single point. Despite retiring from Race 3 with gear issues, Warthog remains third overall with one race to go.

IRC Two

Andrew & Sam Hall’s Jackknife won on IRC corrected time by 1m 12s over Poul Richard Høj-Jensen’s Danish Blue. High Tension was third.

Jackknife now holds a 2-point cushion over Mojito heading into the final race. Two Antiguan legends remain locked in a battle for third overall, with High Tension currently ahead of Danish Blue on countback.

Full Results here: https://sailracehq.com/results/event/338e133f-171e-4d29-b64e-93c01756ac9f