Antoine Magre’s Palanad 4 won the IRC Zero race in a Caribbean?race determined by tactical 'nerves' and sustained speed. The boat posted the?best corrected?time after two days, ten hours and 32 minute of intense sailing.

James Neville's British Carkeek45 Ino Noir came in second place by a narrow margin, after taking a risk on the final leg. Niklas Zennstrom’s Swedish entry Ran completed a podium that was tight up until the final beat to Antigua.

IRC Zero is the fastest category within the IRC (International Rating Certificate handicap system).

The Palanad 4, a multihull, won the line honours a day after Black Jack100 had taken monohull and MOD70 Argo took monohull.

The race unfolded into a four-way battle, with Frederic Puzin’s French entry Daguet 5 gaining the upper hand. There were more south-easterly winds than usual.

The Mach 50 Palanad 4 is renowned for its performance. However, conditions required discipline rather than dominance.

"Intense," said the skipper Magre. There were constant maneuvers and constant sail changes. "We never got into a regular watch rhythm."

Magre admitted that a failure of the halyards shortly after the race started caused their J1 to fall. "We lost more than a mile," he said.

Ino Noir’s strategic gamble at Guadeloupe’s lee changed the game's standings.

Juan Vila, the navigator of the boat, explained the offshore strategy: "We were able to see the boats in front on the tracker. We could also tell how slowly they were moving. We made a plan to sail one or two miles further offshore to seek different pressure.

Ino Noir, on the final approach, made another bold decision, turning a significant amount north in order to avoid a storm.

Vila stated that "we thought going north of cloud was better", but ultimately "the gains weren't quite enough to overturn Palanad 4’s advantage".

Magre's victory had a special meaning for him: "My dad couldn't race this time. As we lost my uncle last week. "The IRC Zero win was dedicated to him."

The Caribbean?600 course starts and finishes in English Harbour. It loops around 11 island including Barbuda (Barbuda), Nevis, Guadeloupe, and more.

The 2026 race saw more than 50 boats and 500 sailors representing 30 different countries compete.

(source: Reuters)