Crew from all over the world will be competing in the 2018 RORC Transatlantic Race which sets off from Marina Lanzarote, Arrecife on Saturday November 24th. The 3,000 nautical mile-long race from the Canary Islands to Grenada is the final challenge in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 2018 calendar, and is viewed as a transition to the RORC Caribbean 600 in February 2019.

Franco Niggeler’s Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka 3 (above) is one of the favourites for the overall win decided by yachts racing under the IRC Rating Rule for the RORC Transatlantic Race Trophy.

“This will be my first Atlantic crossing and the first part of a project including the RORC Caribbean 600, the Transpac and the Rolex Sydney Hobart,” commented Kuka 3’s owner Niggeler. “The first few days will be very important with difficult tactical choices which could decide the outcome of the race. Our aim is to do as well as possible as we have a competitive boat and it is up to us to get the best out of it.”

Kuka 3 has a highly experienced crew, including Italian navigator Andrea Caracci (11 Mini-Transats) and Spanish Watch Captain Gonzalo Araujo (Volvo Ocean Race and TP52). Kuka 3 will be skippered by Spain’s Roberto ‘Chuny’ Bermudez de Castro who has raced 500,000 nautical miles, including seven round the world races, winning the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

“I have lost count of the number of times I have raced across the Atlantic, but it is still a very special experience,” commented Bermudez. “Competing with teams in the middle of an ocean, sometimes in difficult conditions, is a real challenge that I love. For Franco (Niggeler) this will be his first experience of racing across the Atlantic. He has a great spirit, as does the whole team.”

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