ORC World Championship: Merciless power play in stiff winds - three races for everyone
After the large yachts in Class A also found enough draught again to be able to leave the harbour without the risk of grounding, all three World Championship groups first completed another offshore race on Wednesday morning. The hopes of many participants for mercy and cancellation of the two Up & Downs in the afternoon were not fulfilled. After a short breather in the harbour of the Kiel-Schilksee Olympic Centre, they had to get back out into the roar of the fjord.
Karl Kwok's top favourite "Beau Geste" starts the second half with a clean slate
The crews of the four large TP52 yachts and other teams from World Championship Group A in particular had spoken out against up & downs in these conditions because they feared for their equipment and sensed breakage. Jibing in 30 knots of wind is not really what TPs should be doing, according to the team camps. The short races nevertheless took place in the afternoon in 23 to 26 knots of wind and stronger gusts. Karl Kwok's Group A favourite "Beau Geste" stormed to her first up & down win after winning the Coastal in just 39 minutes and 45 seconds, and her second up & down win in a further 40 minutes and 13 seconds.
In the overall standings, the TP52 team from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club with skipper Gavin Brady remains the unbeaten leader ahead of Tilmar Hansen's class sister "Outsider" (Kieler Yacht-Club) and Carl-Peter Forster's "Red Bandit" (Bayerischer Yacht-Club). They were followed by Michael Berghorn's Mills 45 "Halbtrocken 4.5" from Kieler Yacht-Club, Jan Opländer's Swan 45 "Katima" from Norddeutscher Regatta Verein and the strong women's team led by skipper Kirsten Harmstorf-Schönwitz on "Tutima" after a total of four races at the halfway stage.
We can do more, but we didn't call on it today" (Tilmar Hansen)
The "Outsider" crew, who were co-favourites in Class A before the start of the World Championship, did not start the day in the best possible way with third place in the Coastal. "Basically it was a great regatta out of the fjord, but it's very penalising if you don't have the right sail up. We are capable of more, but we didn't show it today," said owner Tilmar Hansen self-critically. He was referring to the code zero that was not initially set on "Outsider", which had given Carl-Peter Forster's young crew on "Red Bandit" - they had it up from the start - the relevant advantage.
A few mistakes had also crept into the manoeuvres of the "Outsider" crew on Wednesday morning. "We won't be Coastal World Champions in this series," said helmsman Bo Teichmann, "we're hoping for the Up & Downs. We have to do something there." The short races went better for the "Outsider" team with two second places. However, the top favourites on "Beau Geste", who largely made no mistakes, were still no match for them in the crisp winds on Wednesday. The German chasers have three days left to challenge the Kwok team even more.
"Red Bandit" successful as a sailing school
The young team on "Red Bandit", with an average age of just 26, were delighted with their good performance in the Coastal. Tactician Adrian Hoesch said: "That was a good race. It's also nice that everything stayed intact." Carl-Peter Forster's project is organised as a foundation. "We try to teach young people how to sail offshore," says Adrian Hoesch, explaining the team's objective. According to Hoesch, many of the crew members are sailing in such stormy winds for the first time in this world championship.
The conditions were also very challenging for the family team on Holger Streckenbach's fourth TP52 in the world championship alliance. The "Imagine" sailed to seventh place in the coastal race and ninth and fifth in the two short races. "Our boats are so brutal in so much wind, they are already problematic to handle above 20 knots," said Holger Streckenbach, whose children Felix, Anna and Theodor are members of the 15-strong "Imagine" crew. The team had cancelled the first race at the stormy start of the World Championships for safety reasons, but is now getting better and better.
"Intermezzo" and "Aquaplay" remain close to the top
Marcin Sutkowski's Grand Soleil 44 P "Windwhisper" has continued its dominance in World Championship Group B. With four victories and one second place, the Pole's World Championship half-time account shows just six points. They are followed by Peter Buhl's Danish Swan 42 "Sirena" and Aivar Tuulberg's Estonian ClubSwan 42 "Katarina II". After three coastals and two short races, the best German yacht in the middle World Championship Division B is Jens Kuphal's "Intermezzo", which was able to shine with fourth and second place in the Up & Downs.
In World Championship Group C, Max Habeck's "Aquaplay" suffered a few setbacks on the third day of the series. Although the J-112 from the Munich Yacht Club Monte Baldo took third place in the Coastal, it lost some ground again with 10th and 5th places in the Up & Downs. However, in fifth place overall, helmsman Gordon Nickel and the "Aquaplay" crew have good contact with the top. Group C is led by Juss Ojalas J/112 E "Matilda 4" ahead of Harles Liivs J/112 E "Shadow" (both Estonia) and Koronis Janulionis' class sister "Keturi Véjai".
