Please select your home edition
Edition
RYA Membership

First discard tightens the standings at 2018 ORC European Championship

by ORC Media 13 Sep 2018 04:07 BST 8-15 September 2018
The Czech team on the Swan 42 Daring Sisters are off to a fast start to score their first race win in today's first race in Class AB - 2018 ORC European Championship © Pavel Nesvadba

After another leisure afternoon start to two inshore races, Day Three at the 2018 ORC European Championship featured similar light but raceable conditions and an interesting set of results. The two Estonian teams that have each dominated Class AB and Class C, respectively, are being more closely challenged now in the third day of racing, with races decided by some very close corrected time margins as teams new to ORC championship-level sailing get closer and closer in performance to the seasoned veterans that still hold the lead. This is the halfway point in the regatta, with two days and four races left to decide the two new ORC European champions.

"This is quite difficult sailing, where every second counts," said skipper Easy Swissa who is racing his Israeli X-41 Next. "ORC is only 4 years old in use in Israel, and we are still learning the system and the high level of competition at regattas like this. We are the same boat type as the class leader, but they rate a little better due to their optimizations, and its these that can make the difference in the results. But overall I think this system is quite fair."

For example, in the second race today Next finished 3rd place in corrected time, 20 seconds ahead in elapsed time but only 9 seconds behind in corrected time behind Mati Sepp and his Estonian team on Technonicol, and only 25 seconds behind in corrected time behind race winner St Anna, Mikhail Kadetov's Skif 42 from Russia. A large 30-degree wind shift in this race was accounted for in the scoring model to keep the ratings fair and a course adjustment made in the final lap.

And in the first race today Technonicol fell into second place behind another competitor, the Czech-based team led by Tomas Dolezal and Radim Parizek on their Swan 42 Daring Sisters, who walloped the fleet in both elapsed and corrected time by an enormous 3:22 margin to earn their first race win.

Meanwhile in Class C the other Estonian team, Aivar Tuulberg's Katariina II, continues to dominate the results with solid, mistake-free sailing, and in the first race today they too crushed their rivals like Daring Sisters did in the other class by an even greater margin: 4:51. And while their nearest rival - Rudolf Vrestal's Czech team on his Italia 9.98 Giulia - is only two points back, after the discard of worst scores the podium race has tightened with the modified Farr 30 Tamumm from Greece tied in points for third place in the standings with Uri Zaks's X-35 X-President from Israel.

Except for the start time of 13:00, tomorrow things will likely not be the same as today due to higher forecast winds of 12-15 knots. This change in conditions may make the racing even tighter as more boats will see the same conditions throughout the course area. In this penultimate day the results will become even more important as teams prepare to make their final run for the podium on Friday, which is also now forecast to have these stronger winds.

For more information about the 2018 ORC European Championship in Limassol, visit the event website at european2018.orc.org.

More on the ORC rating system, ORC certificates and events can be found at www.orc.org.

Related Articles

Long Offshore Race winners declared in Helsinki
A demanding course across the Gulf of Finland in the Garmin ORC Double-Handed Europeans The Long Offshore Race of the 2025 Garmin ORC Double-Handed European Championship, concluded on Friday in Helsinki after a challenging 247 to 283-nautical-mile course across the Gulf of Finland and back. Posted on 11 Jul
Best Buddies from Germany win the AEGEAN 600 2025
The second wave of finishers benefit from last night's steadier breezes Behind the first wave of finishers yesterday morning, yesterday and last night's steadier breezes helped sweep in another wave of Monohull and Multihull finishers to the race finish at Cape Sounion. Posted on 11 Jul
101st Bayview Mackinac Race starts on Saturday
A massive fleet of 183 monohulls and 9 multihulls will set off to race entire length of Lake Huron It is one day to go, and the fleet is assembled in Port Huron before the start of the 101st Bayview Mackinac Race, organized by the Bayview Yacht Club and presented by National Fleet Services. Posted on 11 Jul
All smiles among first finishers of the AEGEAN 600
The fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion As the fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion and made their way to the harbour at Olympic Marine, there were exhausted smiles all around. Posted on 10 Jul
ORC DH Europeans Short Offshore Race
Strong competition and tough conditions The Long Offshore Race, the most demanding stage of the 2025 Garmin ORC Double-Handed European Championship, is well under way in the Gulf of Finland. Posted on 10 Jul
Introducing the Micro Gateway from Cyclops Marine
Live load data, simplified - smaller, smarter, even more connected At Cyclops Marine, we're driven by the pursuit of precision, performance, and progress. As the marine industry continues to embrace digital transformation, our technology is evolving rapidly. Posted on 10 Jul
Ubico ORC B at the Copa del Rey MAPFRE Preview
A total of 35 boats representing 12 nationalities are set to line up in the division A total of 35 boats representing 12 nationalities, all closely matched in length and performance, will line up in Ubico ORC B, the largest and one of the most competitive classes at the 43 Copa del Rey MAPFRE. Posted on 9 Jul
2025 Sail Paradise - Last call for early bird!
You're invited to test your crew in Australia's spectacular offshore sailing regatta You're invited to test your crew in Australia's spectacular offshore sailing regatta, The Yacht Sales Co Sail Paradise 2025! Posted on 9 Jul
ORC DH Europeans Short Offshore Race
Racing opens in Helsinki with tight racing and shifting winds The 2025 Garmin ORC Double Handed European Championship got under way in Helsinki with the Short Offshore Race on Tuesday, July 8. This marked the official start of racing after days of measurement, safety checks, and a practice race. Posted on 8 Jul
Fleet advances to the last half of the AEGEAN 600
In contrast to yesterday's slow pace, the rate of progress has been much improved Most of the fleet of 59 Monohulls and Multihulls who are sailing in this year's AEGEAN 600 have either already entered the second half of the race at the island of Rhodes or are well on their way to reaching this important milestone. Posted on 8 Jul