ORC World Championship: "Outsider" and "Red Bandit" on course for medals ahead of the final
Tatjana Pokorny
· 11.08.2023
"That was a very nice long distance! A peaceful reconciliation for the stormy days before," said "Intermezzo" tactician and Ocean Race sailor Robert Stanjek after the night race of the ORC World Championship off Kiel. On his return on Friday morning, Stanjek spoke from the soul of almost all the participants, who particularly enjoyed the "golden start" to the long distance and the mild sailing conditions.
A dream of the long haul
The organisers and sailors had long hoped for conditions like this. At the start of the long-distance race of the ORC World Championship, the dream scenario was there: Holstein skies with lots of blue and a few white clouds over the Kiel Fjord, evening sunshine on the sails of the fleet in front of the Labo Naval Memorial - plus 2 to 3 Beaufort gentle summer winds. Thursday evening offered an ideal start to the night race of the World Sailing Championship off Kiel.
In the narrow starting area in Strand Bay, the 111 crews in their starting groups also served up a manoeuvring spectacle at the first mark, which thrilled numerous spectators in the motorboats, but also in the Olympic harbour of Schilksee and along the promenades of Strande. From midnight, a narrow crescent moon moved across the clear sky and the light breeze in the Danish South Sea persisted until the morning. However, as the wind threatened to break during the course of Friday morning, the race officer team led by Principal Race Officer Eckart Reinke took the yachts south-west of Langeland to the finish.
If we hadn't headed into the wind immediately, the mast could have broken" (Markus Wieser)
This was also the case for the crew on Tilmar Hansen's TP52 "Outsider", whose right lower shroud suddenly broke about four hours before the end of the shortened long-distance race. "That was consequential damage from the stresses of the first three days of the storm. If we hadn't sailed into the wind immediately, the mast could have broken," said "outsider" tactician Markus Wieser. By joining forces, the Hansen team managed to fix the damage with on-board equipment to such an extent that they still managed to finish second in the long distance - an outstanding achievement in itself.
"Desna" wins the race overnight
Johannes Wackerhagen's Knierim 49 "Desna" won the long distance in class A. After a bumpy start, a navigation error, a breakage and two missed races as a result, the boat is getting better and better at the end of the world championship. The eleven-strong crew returned to the harbour in Kiel-Schilksee with beaming faces and arms raised high after a difficult start to the World Championship. "We are mainly sailing against our own shadow here at the ORC World Championship. In the end, it's the consistency that pays off, the persistent work at every moment," said "Desna" tactician Jesper Radich from Denmark.
"Desna's" mainsail trimmer Bertil Balser said it was "really annoying" to have opened the World Championships like this. However, the long-distance victory reconciled the team as well as the sailing pleasure itself on the course. The team had optimised the boat from 2006 for the World Championship in its home waters between Kiel Week and the World Championship. "It was actually just minor things," says Bertil Balser, "but we have good people on board and the atmosphere is not bad either."
"Beau Geste" on course for the title
Karl Kwok's Class A queen "Beau Geste", unbeaten until the long distance, had to bow to the tenacious German competition for the first time on the long distance. In addition to "Desna" and "Outsider", Carl-Peter Forster's TP52 "Red Bandit" also crossed the finish line faster than the top favourite from Hong Kong. In the overall standings, however, "Beau Geste" is still clearly in the lead ahead of the two final up & downs on Saturday and has at least one hand on the World Championship gold medal.
The teams on "Outsider" and "Red Bandit" defended their medal positions before the decision on Saturday. They were followed in fourth place by Jan Opländer's Swan 45 "Katima" (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein), the first non-TP52. Helmsman Jan Opländer, tactician and navigator Tim Kröger, strategist Stefan Voss and their crew came sixth from the long haul and were one point ahead of Michael Berghorn's Mills 45 "Halbtrocken 4.5" in the overall standings after seven races. Tim Kröger said: "We are very proud of our interim result. Regardless of how the World Championship turns out tomorrow. It shows that hard work can bear fruit and a team can grow. We will fight again tomorrow."
"Windwhisper" unstoppable, "Intermezzo" with a blunder
In Class B, the Polish Grand Soleil 44 P "Windwhisper 44" sailed by Marcin Sutkowski (Poland) is on course for gold at the ORC World Championship. After five victories and three second places, the team is hard to catch up with. Jens Kuphal's "Intermezzo" was unable to get any closer to the leading trio on the long distance despite a very good fourth place.
"Intermezzo" owner and helmsman Jens Kuphal struggled during the race and had to admit after returning to the harbour with a scratchy voice: "I caught a cold, got a fever during the night and am completely exhausted. Nevertheless, it was a great race. We were in the lead for a long time and had a close match at the front."
I had the stupid idea of avoiding the counter-current in the shallower water" (Max Gurgel)
However, the "Intermezzo" team also made a mistake, as Max Gurgel reported refreshingly openly about the section after passing the mark on the east coast of Langeland: "The current was heading north and I had the stupid idea of avoiding the counter-current in the shallower water. I had very good arguments in favour of this, so I was also able to convince the others. But unfortunately we were left with no wind."
"Intermezzo" tactician and Ocean Race sailor Robert Stanjek summarised: "Unfortunately, the wind was so much weaker under land that it cost us around two miles, so the others passed us. The gap to the top three is now too big for us to really get involved in the medal fight." The Kuphal team still wants to fight on the final day, as Jens Kuphal dynamically announced: "It's not over yet ..."
A good move in the restricted area of Kappeln ...
There could be a dramatic finale in class C. The top three were close together before the two final sprints on Saturday. The team on the leading Estonian J/112 "Matilda 4" from Juss Ojala held the best cards.
As the best German boat in Group C in fourth place, the crew on Max Habeck's J-112 "Aquaplay" is waiting to see what opportunities might still open up before the decision. Helmsman Gordon Nickel and the "Aquaplay" crew are ready for an exciting showdown. The nine-man crew once again proved their class with fourth place in the long-distance race. Owner Max Habeck reported: "For the long haul, we finally had the conditions we had hoped for in Kiel. We made quite a good move in the restricted area off Kappeln. Unfortunately, the other teams ahead of us also sailed well, so we weren't able to make up any ground in the ranking."
