2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championships - Qualifying Race 2
by Louay Habib / RORC 26 Sep 17:45 BST
22 September - 1 October 2025
The second qualification race of the 2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championships started from Cowes, Isle of Wight in a crisp northeasterly, 10 knots under clear skies. But what began as a gentle gradient breeze soon turned into a punishing test of endurance.
After rounding St. Catherine’s Point on the south side of the Isle of Wight, teams were slammed by a fierce 20-25 knot beat into a steepening sea state – the toughest conditions of the championship so far.
The 140-mile offshore showdown built towards a dramatic finish on Friday 26 September, right outside the RORC Cowes Clubhouse. French duo Théa Khelif & Thomas Andre (FRA) delivered a flawless performance to seize the winner’s gun. Snapping at their heels, Liz Wardley & Lincoln Dews (AUS 2) fought tooth and nail with Karl Otto Book & Maren Magda Book (NOR), the Australians crossing just two minutes ahead to claim second.
The battle for the remaining qualifying spots went down to the wire. Alec Coleman & Savannah Taylor (CAN) grabbed fourth, finishing a mere 61 seconds ahead of Zeb Fellows & Willow Bland (GBR 2). The British pair clung onto the all-important fifth place, punching their ticket to the world championship final by the narrowest of margins.
FRA 1 crew is Théa Khelif and Thomas Andre, young rising stars in France. Racing double-handed in the 2025 Transat Paprec, Andre was third elevating him to 12th in the Figaro 3 rankings. Khelif has raced in the ILCA Class and to success on the Match Racing Tour and Mini Class. Khelif was aboard Cédric Chateau’s Class40 for a fifth place in the Rolex Fastnet Race and has her sights set on a future Figaro campaign.
“Our goal for this race was simple: secure a place in the top five and qualify for the World Championship Final, that was the priority,” commented Théa Khelif. “But we also wanted to use this opportunity to refine our settings, test our boat speed, and make the right tactical calls. To come away not just in the top five but winning the race feels fantastic – it’s job done and done well. The 140-mile course really tested us, but we managed it smartly. There were long reaching legs, and that gave each of us the chance to rest properly. We swapped over to keep the boat pushing hard while the other got a nap, which meant we stayed sharp for the critical moments. By the finish, yes, we were tired – but still in good shape,” concluded Khelif.
“One of the biggest factors was managing the tide and current,” explained Thomas Andre. “It can make or break you in the Solent and Channel, and we worked hard to stay on top of the local conditions. We focused on getting a clean start, holding our lane, and building speed without taking unnecessary risks. That balance of aggression and control made the difference, and it’s exactly the kind of discipline we’ll need in the final.
Now we will enjoy a couple of days to reset before turning our attention back to the job ahead. For us, this was the perfect step forward. We came here to qualify. We leave with a win. That’s the best possible preparation for the challenge still to come.” Concluded Andre.
To describe AUS 2 crew Liz Wardley and Lincoln Dews as a multi-talented pair would be an understatement. Wardley has had a passion for ocean adventures from an early age and has logged nearly a million miles across the world’s oceans. Before the worlds, Wardley had not sailed for two years, having turned to ocean rowing, setting a new race record of 44 days, 4 hours & 47 minutes across the Atlantic and is set to row 2,800nm from California to Hawaii as her next goal.
Lincoln Dews is a professional waterman and has made a name for himself as a multiple world champion and high performance athlete. Paddleboarding, surfing, lifesaving and sailing feature in his CV, including racing two-handed in several Rolex Sydney Hobarts.
“Our main goal was to have a clean race and see where we stacked up in this fleet,” explained Wardley. “We hadn’t sailed these boats before, and I hadn’t raced for a couple of years, so the first priority was simply to get around the course smartly. There were definitely some rusty patches, but also moments of real brilliance, and that balance is all part of the learning curve.”
Dews added: “One of the key points for us came after rounding St Catherine’s. We were hit with 20 to 24 knots of breeze, wind against tide, and a brutal sea state. The boat was practically airborne at times, but we kept it together, stayed calm, and drove through it. That gave us confidence.”
Both sailors admitted they were still figuring out their processes. “This was the first time we’ve ever raced together,” said Dews. “At the start it was a bit of a shambles, but as the miles ticked by we found our groove. By the end we were sailing much better than at the beginning, which is a positive takeaway. We had strong boat speed in patches, and a few messy moments too, but it’s all part of building towards the final.”
Wardley summed it up: “Qualifying second is huge. At times we had seven or eight boats around us and knew a single mistake could drop us from second to seventh. The racing is that tight. To come out of it in second gives us plenty of positives and a list of things to improve. For now, it’s about regrouping, making a smarter game plan, and heading into the final with momentum. Onwards and upwards.”
GBR2 crew is Zeb Fellows and Willow Bland. Zeb at just 18 years of age is the youngest sailor at the world championships and learnt the short-handed discipline racing with his father in the last two RORC Season’s Points Championships. Willow was a member of the all-female crew on Maiden in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race. the first ever all-women crew to win an around the world yacht race.
“Our plan before the start was straightforward: keep it clean, keep it simple, and just put together a solid race. Of course, it didn’t all go exactly as planned!” explained Bland. “The start wasn’t the one we wanted, and the first beat didn’t go our way. We even had a few spinnaker mishaps heading out of the Solent. But once we got around the back of the island, we dug in, trusted the practice we’d put in, and started to turn things around.
“The decisive moment came on the leg after St. Cats,” commented Fellows. “We knew we were locked in a fight for fifth with the New Zealand team, and the conditions there were brutal – 20 to 25 knots, steep waves, and constant sail changes. We were shaking reefs in and out, trying to keep the boat balanced and the speed up. At one point it was basically a match race, bow to bow, with neither team giving an inch. The relief when we managed to get in front, hoist the Code Zero, and edge away was huge.
What really hit us in this race is just how tight the racing is. These boats are evenly matched, so every mistake costs you big. One poor jibe and you can lose four places instantly. There’s no relaxing, no chance to sleep – you’re on it the whole time.
In the end, we scraped into the top five by the skin of our teeth, but that’s all that matters. We’re through to the final, and we’re buzzing. We’ve made plenty of mistakes already, but that gives us the chance to learn, reset, and come back stronger. Now we’ve got the opportunity to take all those lessons into the championship final and push even harder.” Concluded Fellows.
Racing action continues at the 2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championships with the Repechage Race set to start at 14:00 BST on Saturday 27 September. The winner of the Repechage Race will qualify for the world championship final, which is scheduled to start at 10:00 Monday 29 September.
Results so far can be found here.