Storm warnings have thwarted the organisation of the opening long-distance race of the ORC World Championship off Kiel: The opening race cannot take place as planned on Monday because a severe storm is expected in the north of Germany. The plan was for the 115 boats from 13 nations to set off from Kiel's inner fjord for the long-distance race in the German and Danish Baltic Sea and sail overnight. The course length could have been up to 220 nautical miles in the large ORC 1 class.
It's an offshore world championship and we want to sail a race close to the coast in a protected area despite the storm" (Eckart Reinke)
However, as many participants had hoped and wished, the race organisers will not be sending them into the long-distance race overnight. Instead, a 20 nautical mile race close to the coast has been scheduled. Whether the long distance can be made up for later in the World Championship remains to be seen and also depends on how the weather develops.
After internal consultations and also in agreement with ORC President Bruno Finzo, Principal Race Officer (PRO) Eckart Reinke announced a so-called coastal race for the Monday start on Sunday afternoon: "We made a sensible decision to protect equipment and people and to minimise the risk. That's why it won't go through the night. But it's an offshore world championship and we want to sail a race close to the coast in a protected area despite the storm."
Extreme wind forecasts for the World Cup opener
Kiel weather and sailing expert Sebastian Wache is observing the situation from his holiday and said on Sunday: "It will be exciting because it's not entirely clear how high the wind peaks will go. The models are not in complete agreement. One model predicts winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour, others up to 130, 140." This means that the prospects are somewhere between a severe storm and hurricane-like conditions. During the World Championship, the teams should be able to show off their navigation and seamanship skills. However, this should not be at the expense of the safety of the boats and crews, explained Reinke.
The PRO continued: "Secondly, this will be a long week of racing in both inshore and offshore formats where we want the teams to give their best and not be hampered by a difficult start in extreme conditions. And thirdly, the weather for the rest of the week looks to be quite varied and therefore suitable enough that we can provide a proper test of performance to produce three new world champions of the highest calibre."
The World Championship schedule depends on how the weather develops
After the start in front of the Kiel-Düsternbrook marina, the crews will now head out of the inner fjord around the headland of the Bülker lighthouse to the Stollergrund. From there, the route leads back to the finish in Strander Bucht. The exact course was announced to the teams at the skippers' briefing on Sunday evening. The course is expected to be around 20 nautical miles long. The further schedule of the ORC Worlds 2023 will then depend on the weather developments on Tuesday.
In all three World Championship groups A, B and C, German favourites will also be fighting for the titles. In the large class A, Tilmar Hansen's TP52 "Outsider" and Michael Berghorn's Mills 45 "Halbtrocken 4.5" (both Kieler Yacht-Club) are among other ambitious crews who want to stand up to the top favourite "Beau Geste" from the British Virgin Islands in the battle for the World Championship crown. The World Championship ends on 12 August with the final races and the award ceremony at the Kiel-Schilksee Olympic Centre.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
