40th 200 Millas A2 decides 2026 ORC Double-Handed European titles in Altea
by Offshore Racing Congress 8 Mar 08:17 GMT
1-7 March 2026
The sailing week in Altea concluded on Saturday with a double celebration: the winners of the 40th anniversary edition of the 200 Millas A2 were confirmed alongside the new ORC Double-Handed European Champions, following two demanding offshore races hosted by Club Náutico de Altea.
Over the course of a 37-mile short offshore race and the decisive 200-mile long offshore race, sailors faced very different but equally demanding challenges - heavy weather, strong gusts, rain, tactical uncertainty and the physical demands of double-handed sailing. Across both races, consistency, reliability and sound offshore decision-making proved decisive in determining the new European champions.
Long Offshore Race - 200 Millas A2
The decisive long offshore race started on Thursday, 5 March at 12:20, with 38 boats starting the race in heavy rain in Altea Bay for the second race of the championship. The traditional 200-mile course took the fleet from Altea around Ibiza and Formentera and back to the mainland, with the leading boats completing the race in approximately 37 to 38 hours.
The fleet started in a moderate northerly breeze of around 12 knots, which gradually softened before the race evolved into a highly tactical offshore contest, marked by calms, shifting pressure, and, later, a fast return leg.
According to Regatta Chair Álvaro Arroyo Benito, the second race presented a completely different challenge from the opening offshore test.
"Forecasting was especially difficult because no two weather models agreed fully on what would happen," he said. "In the end, the instability that had been predicted proved accurate. We had a very tactical race, with repeated calm patches compressing the fleet and then even the slightest breeze spreading the boats apart again. It created a constant accordion effect throughout the course."
He noted that these conditions made this one of the slowest editions of the 200 Millas A2 in recent years.
"The first boat needed more than 36 hours to finish, which is unusual here. It demanded enormous concentration from the crews, because they had to stay fully alert all the time - taking advantage of every small gust, escaping the calms and positioning carefully for the southerly breeze expected during the final part of the race."
Race Winners by Class
In Class A, MODUL (IMS 42) of Felix Comas and Salvador Roig (CNS Ponsa / CN Arenal) secured victory in the Long Offshore Race after 200 demanding miles, finishing ahead of FORMULA X (XR 41) of Rodrigo Sanz and David Madrazo (RCN Palma), while ZIVING (Grand Soleil 46 S) of Javier Arbona and Bruno Garcia (RCN Valencia) completed the top three on corrected time.
For FORMULA X, the result carried particular significance: the XR 41 design won the 2025 ORC World Championship in Class B in Tallinn in full-crew configuration, and in Altea the same platform immediately proved competitive in double-handed mode, finishing second both in the race and overall in Class A. For David Madrazo, the transition confirmed the design's versatility.
"It's our first regatta double-handed — normally we sail full crew — so we are happy with second place in the race and also second overall," he said. "The boat is exactly the same as for full-crew sailing. The only adjustment was adding guides for the snuffer system to make sail handling easier with two people onboard."
In Class B, local favourites GUAGUANCO IV (Sun Fast 3300) of brothers Juan and Thierry Lallemand (CN Altea) claimed victory, ahead of AZUREE (Azuree 33 Mod) sailed by Eduardo Horrach and Andreu Juan (RCN Palma), while FALAPOUCO (Dufour 40 DK) of José Ballester and Andrés Manresa (RCN Torrevieja) secured third place after another solid offshore performance.
In Class C, BLUE FLAG (J-35) of Matias Gil and Joan Llado (RCN Palma) delivered the strongest corrected-time performance to win the Long Offshore Race, ahead of AURORA (First 36.7) of Javier Lledó and Jesús del Toro (RCN Calpe), while XUFIN (X-99) of Jorge San Simón and Carlos Pareja (RCR Alicante) completed the podium after the 200-mile challenge.
For Joan Llado, the race reflected everything that makes the 200 Millas distinctive.
"The 200 Millas A2 is always a very special race because anything can happen," he said. "We started in very light wind with many shifts, but made a very good start and chose a tactic that allowed us to stay ahead. Once the southerly breeze arrived after La Mola, we could accelerate and race fast all the way to the finish."
Alongside the official ORC Double-Handed European Championship classification, the historic 200 Millas A2 also maintained its own separate overall ranking across the full fleet of 50 participating boats, preserving the tradition of the regatta's standalone honours.
In this 40th anniversary edition, overall victory went to FALAPOUCO (Dufour 40 DK) sailed by José Ballester and Andrés Manresa, whose consistent performance across both races secured the top spot with 7 points. Second overall was AZUREE (Azuree 33 Mod) of Eduardo Horrach and Andreu Juan with 14.5 points, while third place went to REGULUS 1 (J/99 DK) sailed by Alfonso López and Iván Elejabeitia, finishing on 17 points.
New ORC Double-Handed European Champions
Combining the results of both races, with the long offshore race carrying greater weight in the championship standings, three teams emerged as the new 2026 ORC Double-Handed European Champions. ORC Weather Routing Scoring was used to calculate corrected times in both races.
Class A
Consistency across both races proved decisive as ZIVING (Grand Soleil 46 S) of Javier Arbona and Bruno Garcia (RCN Valencia) secured the European title with 5.5 points, having remained among the front-runners throughout the championship — second in the Short Offshore Race and third in the Long Offshore Race.
FORMULA X (XR 41) of Rodrigo Sanz and David Madrazo claimed silver after recovering from sixth place in the opening race to finish second in the decisive offshore race, having led much of the course before losing the race victory in the final miles due to fading wind and current. COOL - AREA NAUTICA (Azuree 46) of Daniel Maestre and Pablo Geras (CN Jávea), winners of the opening race, completed the podium also on 9 points.
Class B
In Class B, FALAPOUCO (Dufour 40 DK) of José Ballester and Andrés Manresa (RCN Torrevieja) converted their opening-race victory into the European title, combining a win in the Short Offshore Race with third place in the Long Offshore Race.
AZUREE (Azuree 33 Mod) of Eduardo Horrach and Andreu Juan took silver after finishing fourth and second in the two races, while REGULUS 1 (J 99 DK) of Alfonso López and Iván Elejabeitia (CNR Cartagena) completed the podium.
"We are naturally very happy. To win the class and become European champions in such a strong fleet is very satisfying," said Andrés Manresa.
He added that their long partnership was a decisive strength: "We have been sailing together for around thirty years, so we understand each other very well in demanding offshore conditions. One of the most important things this year was that nothing broke on board, especially considering how many boats suffered technical damage."
Speaking about the boat, Manresa noted that they have sailed it for around five years and that it has consistently proven highly competitive on the Spanish offshore circuit since its earliest major victories.
Class C
Steady scoring across both races gave AURORA (First 36.7) of Javier Lledó and Jesús del Toro (RCN Calpe) the European title after winning the opening race and following with another strong offshore result.
XUFIN (X-99) of Jorge San Simón and Carlos Pareja secured silver, while YABADABA TOO (X-382) of Martin Aizcorbe and Joan Frixes (RCN Palma) completed the podium.
"It was a very demanding championship from start to finish," said Jesús del Toro. "Both races required constant concentration, and in these conditions, simply finishing is already an achievement. We had some minor technical issues on board, but nothing serious enough to affect the boat."
He added that despite the wind strength not being ideal for their boat on paper, AURORA performed consistently well throughout both races and praised the organisation of Club Náutico de Altea.
Celebration and Farewell
The awards ceremony took place on Saturday at 20:00 at Club Náutico de Altea, where the top three overall finishers of the 200 Millas A2 received the traditional silver ingots, while the European champions were awarded ORC medals. NeckMarine also presented its specially produced limited-edition watches to the winners.
Reflecting on the championship as a whole, Álvaro Arroyo Benito described the 40th anniversary edition as one of the strongest in recent memory.
"We welcomed some of the best double-handed crews at both national and international level, including reigning world champions, and from an organisational point of view I believe the club, the race team and all the people involved gave their maximum effort," he said. "Sportingly and organisationally, this has been a very successful edition, and honestly, I believe it may be one of the best 200 Millas A2 editions we have delivered so far."
Thomas Nilsson, ORC Management Committee Member, said:
"This championship in Altea has been an excellent showcase of offshore double-handed sailing under the ORC rule. The combination of the short offshore race and the demanding 200 Millas A2 provided a fair and challenging test of seamanship, preparation and tactical decision-making.
On behalf of ORC, I would like to congratulate the new European champions and thank Club Náutico de Altea, the race officials and all competitors for delivering a championship of such high sporting quality."
The event concluded with a festive gathering at Bon Vent Restaurant, closing a week marked by strong competition, seamanship and offshore spirit.
4th edition of the ORC Double-Handed European Championship 2026, staged in conjunction with the historic 40th anniversary edition of the 200 Millas A2 offshore race, was organised by Altea Sailing Club (Club Náutico Altea – CN Altea) in collaboration with the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC), and runs from March 1-7.
Looking Ahead
The next ORC title event will be the ORC World Championship 2026 in Sorrento, followed by the ORC Double-Handed World Championship 2026 in Scheveningen later this season.
Follow the ORC DH European Championship 2026: