Offshore World Championship: ORC summit off Kiel on course to set a record

Can Kiel break its own record? 151 ORC yachts took part in the 2014 ORC World Championship. It is still remembered today as a top event. The organisers of the World Championship in the famous area off Kiel would like to build on these glory days. With 128 entries at the end of the pre-registration phase, they are well on course. This is despite the fact that some strong candidates from Estonia, who dominated Group C at the World Championships two years ago in Tallinn and this year's European Championships off Hankø (Norway), are still missing.

In addition to the large German fleet, the Scandinavian countries Sweden (9), Denmark (8), Finland, Lithuania and Norway (6 each) have so far provided the largest contingents. While the World Championships in the Mediterranean were mainly contested by "Med" countries, the majority will come from the Baltic Sea in 2023, as expected. Following the cancellation of the 2020 Sailing World Championships in the USA, the World Championship venue will now alternate annually between the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. Click here to go to the ORC World Championship homepage for the Kiel event.

60 German yachts are already registered

The 2021 World Championship in Tallinn, Estonia, was already well attended with 104 participants from twelve nations. The 2022 ORC World Championships in the Italian waters of the host Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo attracted 69 starters from 14 nations. In 2023, the Baltic Sea will be the venue again.

Many eyes will be on the German World Championship fleet at the Kiel Summit. 70 GER yachts turned up at the record-breaking festival in 2014. So far, 60 have registered for the follow-up edition eight years later. The fact that the entry fee is waived for pre-registered teams may have contributed to the high and early interest. "Of course, it's only the pre-registration stage, but we're delighted with the enthusiasm that has already prevailed. And there are sure to be more entries," says Eckart Reinke, Offshore Manager in the Kiel Yacht Club team.

Who the World Cup summit attracts to the north ...

In the 2022 season, which is coming to an end, not all but some well-known German yachts focussed on regattas in the Baltic Sea. These included Michael Berghorn's reigning European and world champion team from 2021 on the Mills 45 "Halbtrocken 4.5" from the Kieler Yacht-Club. Others, like the "Immac Fram" skippered by Kai Mares, are returning from a Mediterranean deployment. The man from Dänischenhagen won the German Championships, Kiel and Travemünde Weeks with the Italia 9.98 and was runner-up in the 2018 World Championship.

With the trip to Mallorca, Mares sought comparison with the best from the Mediterranean region in the season that was coming to an end. "Also to broaden our horizons," says Mares, whose big goal is to successfully participate in the 2023 World Championships in his home waters off Kiel. The J/V 49 "Immac One4All" was the second-best German yacht in Category A at the 2014 World Championships. With the Italia 9.98, Mares and crew are now active in Group C.

Kiel as a sailing stronghold: German medal hopes and a "flyer's kiss" from the Ocean Race fleet in advance

The best will meet at the 2023 World Championships. The top six from the European Championships in Norway are registered in category A. Five of the top six B athletes want to compete and three are registered in category C. Among them are German medal hopes. Reigning European champion Jens Kuphal (Berliner Yacht-Club) will be competing with his "Intermezzo" and will be going head-to-head with two other Landmark 43s from Norway ("White Shadow", Torkjel Valland) and Finland ("Madam Gray", Sampsa Vehkamäki).

Kuphal, who has entered The Ocean Race with the French-German team Guyot Environnement - Team Europe, is one of Germany's most committed ocean sailors. The Ocean Race itself is also giving Kiel a "flyer's kiss" before the ORC World Championship: the most famous team race will sail through Kiel's inner fjord with a "fly-by" on 9 June. Kuphal and Ocean Race co-skipper Robert Stanjek know the Kiel Fjord well. This year, the "Intermezzo" team won the Maior Regatta and the Kiel Cup at Kiel Week.

Berghorn's "Halbtrocken 4.5" team: loyal to the Baltic Sea and brilliantly prepared

Even if the reigning European champion Michael Berghorn (KYC) had to settle for third place at Kieler Woche, the 2021 World Championship victory was followed by the 2022 European Championship victory in front of Hankø and thus the reward for extensive preparation. Berghorn also decided not to defend his World Championship title in the Mediterranean this year and remained loyal to his home waters of the North Sea and Baltic.

"We had our sights set on defending the title off Porto Cervo in Italy, but then I had concerns about the coronavirus. The ship will be there afterwards and we won't always be able to get there. When I found out that the 2023 World Championships would be in Kiel, we decided to focus entirely on the home World Championships," says Berghorn, who completed a full programme in the north in 2022: Maior, North Sea Week, Kiel Week, with Rund Skagen in between. His team is one of the favourites for the home World Championships in the strong German line-up, which will be competing in Kiel with two European Championship gold medals from this year.