Klaipeda ORC European Championship 2026 - Day 4
by Offshore Racing Congress 13 Aug 21:03 BST
August 7-15, 2026
DIXI 5 and Garmin Team Pro4u strengthen their leads as three inshore races bring the first discard into play
Sunshine, a steady breeze and close tactical racing delivered near-perfect conditions on Thursday as the 2026 Klaipeda ORC European Championship fleet completed three windward-leeward races in the Klaipeda City Municipality Leg.
The first warning signal was displayed at 12:00, marking the start of a busy afternoon on the water. With winds generally between 12 and 15 knots, the crews faced three races lasting approximately one to one-and-a-half hours each. The Race Committee gradually shortened the courses during the afternoon, with Class AB racing between seven and nine nautical miles and Class C completing courses of approximately six to seven nautical miles.
Three completed races brought the championship total to six, including five inshore races, and activated the first discard of the series. Each team can now exclude its worst inshore result, while scores from the offshore race remain non-discardable. As a result, several positions changed across the overall standings.
DIXI 5 stays firmly in control
Denmark's XR-41 DIXI 5 by Erik Stannow began the afternoon as it had ended Wednesday, with another victory in the combined Classes A and B. The first contest was remarkably close after time correction. Lithuania's Italia 11.98 RHINO, skippered by Saulius Pajarskas, finished only 12 seconds behind the Danish leader, while Germany's MAT 1220 PURE by Lars Hidde, took third.
The pattern changed in the second race when Hans Broman's Ker 40 NEMO ROSSO from Sweden turned its raw speed into victory both on the water and on corrected time. The boat was particularly fast on the two downwind legs and crossed the finish approximately five minutes ahead of the next yacht.
DIXI 5 responded in the final race, taking its second win of the day and fifth victory from six championship races. Behind the Danish leader, the battle could hardly have been closer: KETURI VEJAI and NEMO ROSSO recorded exactly the same corrected time and shared second place.
The discard brought welcome relief to RHINO. The Lithuanian team could remove Wednesday's black-flag disqualification from its score and climb into second place overall. Crew member Algis Nasvytis said the team had felt the pressure of carrying that result from the beginning of the championship.
"From the first day, we knew we had already used our spare life, so we had to do everything well in the races that followed," he said. "We managed that, and now we are second in our group. We are very happy, but we still need to sail well over the final two days."
The crew arrived prepared for Thursday's conditions, selecting what it believed was the right sail combination and producing another consistent series.
"The wind was strong enough, but not too strong, and we had three very close races," Nasvytis said. "The changes we made to the boat before the season, together with good tactical and weather advice, are helping us prepare for each day." Comments from Algis Nasvytis
After six races, DIXI 5 holds a clear lead on five points. RHINO follows on 14, with the modified X-41 KETURI VEJAI, skippered by Karolis Janulionis, in third on 17.5 points.
A breakthrough win for STONY X
In Class C, the reigning world champions on Sweden's modified First 36.7 Garmin Team Pro4u, skippered by Patrik Forsgren, opened the day with another victory. Estonia's Italia 9.98 F SUGAR, with Henri Roihu at the helm, continued its consistent championship with second place, while the local MAT 11 ARABELA-CITADELE, skippered by Raimondas Šiugždinis, took third.
The second race brought a milestone for Denmark's MAT 11 STONY X by Steen Toftebjerg. Racing a boat that made its competitive debut in the long offshore race only three days earlier, the Danish team claimed its first victory with the new design.
"Everything went our way," said crew member Mads Christensen. "We started in the right place and hit the first two shifts perfectly. Once you get a little ahead, sailing becomes easier because you have no traffic and can follow your own plan."
Christensen described the afternoon as close to "champagne sailing," although the Baltic waves continued to make finding maximum boat speed difficult.
"The competition is very strong, with many good sailors and fast boats," he said. "It is all about avoiding mistakes. One or two small errors can move you from first to third, fourth or fifth. Every second matters."
SUGAR again finished second, with ARABELA-CITADELE taking its second consecutive third place.
In the final race, Garmin Team Pro4u returned to the top, while SUGAR and ARABELA-CITADELE completed a remarkably consistent day with their third successive second and third-place finishes.
The three strong results helped ARABELA-CITADELE continue an impressive recovery from its disqualification in the non-discardable long offshore race. The Lithuanian team has climbed to sixth overall and remains firmly in the fight with two racing days remaining.
For STONY X, each race provides new knowledge about the MAT 11. "We are getting better and learning the boat every day," Christensen said. "There is still too much difference between our best and worst performance, so we need to bring the lower level closer to the higher one. We expect to be better tomorrow and better again on the final day." Comments from Mads Christensen
That progress has lifted the Danish team to third overall, ahead of Estonia's previously third-placed First 34.7 LUMI by Mart Eensalu.
At the front, Garmin Team Pro4u leads with six points, followed by SUGAR on 13. STONY X is third on 23 points, with Lithuania's Class C line-honours winner DIA, Neo 350 by Tauras Rymonis, only two points further back and LUMI fifth with 3.5 points behind.
Near-perfect conditions for three races
Principal Race Officer Eckart Reinke described Thursday's conditions as some of the best of the championship. "We had three races in excellent conditions, with a nice, stable wind," Reinke said. "It could hardly have been better."
The wind varied between approximately 12 and 15 knots and shifted only slightly to the right during the afternoon. The Race Committee repositioned one mark for Class C but otherwise maintained the course configuration. Reinke said the slightly shorter course selected for each successive race was as much about crew morale as it was about the changing breeze.
Coastal race brings a new non-discardable test
The championship continues on Friday with the Volfas Engelman Leg, a short offshore coastal race carrying another non-discardable score. The first warning signal is scheduled for 10:00, with the Race Committee expecting the fastest boats to return to Klaipeda after approximately seven to eight hours.
Class AB will sail a 48-nautical-mile course, while Class C will race over approximately 40 nautical miles. Both fleets will start in front of the event harbour before heading towards a series of inflatable offshore marks and a green cardinal mark south of Klaipeda.
With no suitable permanent navigation marks at the required positions, Race Committee vessels will place four yellow inflatable cylinders as far as ten nautical miles offshore. "We wanted something more interesting than one large triangle," Reinke explained. "The course will zigzag through the marks, giving the sailors more action while still maintaining the feeling of an offshore race."
Moderate winds make it possible to position and manage the inflatable marks safely, but the non-discardable score raises the stakes for every team.
The two championship leaders have established useful advantages, but the battles behind them remain close. With Friday's coastal race followed by one final day of inshore racing, every manoeuvre and every point can still influence the European Championship podiums.
Every yacht will carry a TracTrac tracker, allowing spectators to follow the boats' live positions. TracTrac will also display predicted results based on calculated corrected times, offering an indication of the standings before the yachts cross the finish line. Live tracking is presented by Garmin and available here
Overall standings after six races and a discard
Class AB
1. DIXI 5, XR-41, Erik Stannow, DEN, 5 points
2. RHINO, Italia 11.98, Saulius Pajarskas, LTU, 14 points
3. KETURI VEJAI, modified X-41, Karolis Janulionis, LTU, 17.5 points
Class C
1. Garmin Team Pro4u, modified First 36.7, Patrik Forsgren, SWE, 6 points
2. SUGAR, Italia 9.98 F, Henri Roihu, EST, 13 points
3. STONY X, MAT 11, Steen Toftebjerg, DEN, 23 points
Full results
The Klaipeda ORC European Championship takes place from 7 to 15 August. Throughout the week, the Regatta Village at the Klaipeda Cruise Ship Terminal will welcome visitors with maritime experiences, educational activities, exhibitions, entertainment and live events offering an introduction to the world of offshore sailing.
The Klaipeda ORC European Championship is funded by Klaipeda city, partially funded by the Lithuanian National Sports Agency and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. The main partner of the event is Port of Klaipeda, and the sponsors are Volfas Engelman, Garmin, Sportland.
The Klaipeda 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 more information, please visit: orc.org/europeans2026 and orceuro2026.com