ORC Europeans Klaipeda announces a Prologue Race: A perfect chance to test the waters and your team
by Offshore Racing Congress 7 May 19:05 BST
25-26 July 2026
2025 Kuršiu mariu regata - Curonian Lagoon Regatta © Domas Rimeika
Lithuania has adapted its largest offshore regatta - the "Curonian Lagoon Regatta" - to become the ORC Prologue Race Klaipeda ahead of the 2026 ORC European Championship, which will take place in Klaipeda from 7-15 August.
The ORC Prologue Race Klaipeda will be held on 25-26 July in the same waters that will host the ORC European Championship, featuring one day dedicated to windward-leeward racing and another to a short offshore race. All ORC Europeans participants are invited to enjoy a short preview of the main event.
"The ORC Prologue Race Klaipeda will take place two weeks before the European Championship. We modified the original format of the 'Curonian Lagoon Regatta' to create a shorter version of the ORC championship, allowing participants to enjoy a quick but valuable warm-up: testing the waters, the teams, and the racing format. We encourage all teams to take part and start enjoying everything Klaipeda and Lithuania have to offer a little earlier," says Mantas Klimantavicius, Head of Organisation.
The ORC Prologue Race Klaipeda will be held as part of the "Curonian Lagoon Regatta", Lithuania's largest offshore regatta, with traditions dating back to 1954. Every year, the regatta attracts around 50 teams from Lithuania and abroad. It also offers a festive shore-side programme dedicated not only to sailors, but to the wider public as well.
"I have participated in the 'Curonian Lagoon Regatta' fourteen times since 2006, and there is a good reason for that. The regatta and the Lithuanian sailing community are special: the atmosphere is unique and festive, and as a foreign participant, I always felt highly respected. I found good friends among Lithuanian sailors, whom I appreciate greatly. The Baltic Sea waters here are deep, creating high seas in westerly winds. Sometimes you can even surf the waves - it's fun! And, of course, Klaipeda, Nida and the Neringa sand dunes are something you simply must experience," says Mart Tamm from Estonia, skipper of Katarina Jee and Mesilinde, and a six-time winner of the "Curonian Lagoon Regatta".
John Victorin from Germany, who participated in the "Curonian Lagoon Regatta" in 2020 with his Farr 30 Maiko, also has only positive impressions of the regatta:
"I found it to be an excellent event well worth participating in. It offers a good balance of distance racing and windward/leeward racing. The organisation was very professional and friendly, both on and off the water, including an excellent media team that followed the races and generated content for social media, local newspapers and television."
According to him, the touristic aspect should not be overlooked either, as sailing on the Curonian Lagoon, with its shallow waters and beautiful sand dunes, is an experience in itself.
The organisers of the ORC Prologue Race Klaipeda encourage sailors to come to the event with family and friends, as Klaipeda's famous "Sea Festival" takes place at the same time. The festival is the city's largest summer event and one of the biggest cultural celebrations in Lithuania. Nearly 100 events are scheduled during the festival, including exhibitions, concerts, street performances, educational activities and Lithuania's largest summer fair.
The ORC Prologue Race Klaipeda will be sailed during the opening weekend of the "Curonian Lagoon Regatta" on 25-26 July 2026. On 25 July, three windward-leeward races are scheduled in the Baltic Sea off Klaipeda. On 26 July, participants will compete in a short offshore race.
The ORC Prologue Race is open to yachts holding a valid 2026 ORC International or ORC Club certificate and entered in the 2026 Curonian Lagoon Regatta. Eligible classes are ORC A, ORC B and ORC C.
After the ORC Europeans Prologue Race, the "Curonian Lagoon Regatta" fleet will move to the waters of the Curonian Lagoon and the town of Nida. Yachts with a draught not exceeding 2.20 metres may continue racing in the "Curonian Lagoon Regatta", as the lagoon waters are too shallow for deeper-draught yachts. The regatta will conclude on 1 August.
In addition, the organisers guarantee that all foreign participants of the ORC Europeans Prologue Race will be provided with mooring places for the period between the Prologue Race and the ORC European Championship.
You can register for the ORC Europeans Prologue Race here.
If you have not yet registered for the ORC European Championship in Klaipeda, now is the perfect time to do so, as Early Bird entry fees apply to teams registered before 1 June. Registration for the ORC European Championship is available here.
The ORC European Championship 2026 will take place in Klaipeda, Lithuania, from August 7-15, 2026. The ORC European Championship 2026 is organised by the Lithuanian Yachting Union (LYU), under the authority of the Lithuanian Yachting Union (LYU) and under the overall authority of the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC).
For the Notice of Race, Registration, Entry List and complete event information, visit: orc.org/europeans2026