Garmin ORC World Championship 2027: 404 days to go until the World Championship in Copenhagen

The current ORC season is still in full swing. The European Championships are coming up from 7 to 15 August in Kleipeda, Latvia. However, with a total of 34 entries across four classes, the number of participants at the European Championship is manageable. Lars Hiddes’ Mat 1220 “Pure”, which has already won this year’s German Offshore Sailing Championship, is one of only two A-class boats entered for Kleipeda.

The 2027 ORC World Championship is already the number one topic of conversation

Following the IDM Offshore, held as part of North Sea Week, Lars Hidde told the German Sailing Association: “We’re still hoping for plenty of entries for the European Championships, so that we don’t end up sailing round the buoys on our own. There is currently a great deal of uncertainty amongst many offshore sailors due to Lithuania’s proximity to Russia. There will certainly be significantly more teams coming to the World Championships in Copenhagen.”

In Class B, Erik Stannow’s Danish XR-41 “Dixi 5”, with its predominantly German crew led by project manager Gordon Nickel and other notable figures such as RVS boss Bertil Balser, is on the entry list for the upcoming European Championship, as is John Victorin’s X-41 “Aja” (KSSS/ASVW). In the 24-boat field for the European Championship Class C, Eike Claas Carmincke’s Mat 1010 “Matchbox” is expected to be the only boat flying the German flag.

However, in ORC circles, the talk is already centring more on the 2027 Garmin ORC World Championship to be held in Copenhagen next year. The ORC itself, in collaboration with the Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub, has also, just over 13 months before the World Championships in Denmark, the Reporting portal Open. Entries can be made in Class 0 (16,400 ≥ CDL > 13,550), A (13,550 ≥ CDL > 11,270), B (11,270 ≥ CDL > 9,630) and C (9,630 ≥ CDL > 8,000).

Watching the Copenhagen World Cup summit from home in Skovshoved Harbour

Next year’s ORC World Championship will kick off with a long offshore race starting on 9 August. This will be followed by short races on 11 and 12 August, a shorter offshore race on 13 August, concluding inshore races and the prize-giving ceremony on 14 August. The regatta centre for the 2027 ORC World Championship will be Skovshoved Harbour. Even at Kiel Week, this flagship event was already the subject of much discussion a good year in advance.

Anyone who’s been at the front of the pack on the fjord has their sights set on the World Championships in Copenhagen. Take Sönke Meier Swatzki and his crew on the new Cape 31 ‘Niramo’, for example. Whilst one-design sailing remains important for the team and other Cape 31 enthusiasts such as Michael Berghorn’s crew on the ‘Halbtrocken 3.1’, they nevertheless have also on display at the IDM Inshore in Kiel…that their boats can hold their own in the ORC class whilst offering plenty of fun. This, in turn, will add to the excitement of the ORC World Championship in Copenhagen.

Jens Kuphal, whose team narrowly missed out on a podium finish in fourth place in the ORC A/B class at the IDM Inshore during Kiel Week aboard the XR-41 “eXiteR”, also has high hopes for the 2027 Garmin ORC World Championship. Following their success at the MaiOR, owner and helmsman Jens Kuphal had already said: “We’ve won every medal at the European Championships, but this title is still missing from our collection. Obviously, we still need to make further progress before then, but that’s the ultimate goal.”

On the ORC World Championship in Copenhagen: good sailing conditions expected in the Öresund

The Copenhagen organisers are already well prepared: a new fleet of boats for regatta management, robot-controlled buoys and the race committee’s experience of organising more than 23 regattas a year under the auspices of the Royal Danish Yacht Club form the foundation for the World Championship. Vakaros Atlas 2 RaceSense technology will also be in use.

The World Cup headquarters itself will also be new, as sports director Ann-Marie Mohr explains from the Royal Danish Yacht Club said: “The ORC World Championship will be the first major international event to be hosted from our new clubhouse in Skovshoved. Combined with the harbour’s unique atmosphere and the excellent sailing conditions on the Öresund, we are confident that this will provide a truly first-class championship experience.”

The organisers are expecting a high turnout and have already asked potential participants to register early. As an incentive, an early-bird discount is available until 31 May 2027. The all-time ORC World Championship attendance record is currently held by the 2014 event in Kiel, with 151 boats.

For many offshore sailors, the 2023 ORC World Championship in Kiel, when it to the sound of rock ‘n’ roll on the fjord got straight to the point: