ORC Doublehanded World Championship: "Crass number" - Bronze for "Lightworks" after World Championship thriller final

Only around four minutes after the calculated time were the deciding factor between the bronze and wooden medals in the thrilling Class B final at the two-handed World Championships outside Oslo. In the final sprint, Michael Höfgen and Eckhard Kaller had mobilised all their strength once again, moving up from fourth to third place on Michael Höfgen's still young Arcona 385. After 2 days, 2 hours, 27 minutes and 40 seconds at the finish, the German duo made it onto the World Championship podium. The Norwegians Harald and Christine Walder on the JPK 10.80 "Mika" were left behind on the fourth-placed B boat, holding on to third place for a long time but unable to defend it all the way to the finish.

Victory in the middle class went to the Norwegians Sigmund André Hertzberg and Tim Sandberg on the Dehler 30 OD "Hyrrokin" ahead of their compatriots Kristian Jerpetjon/Andreas Tinglum on the Figaro 2 "Tetratys". 21 B-boats from five countries crossed the finish line. Four teams did not finish the light wind race with some pressurised phases at the ORC Doublehanded World Championship in Group B, including the German Dehler 38C "Uminoko".

ORC Two-handed World Championship: Favourite win for "White Shadow"

In the large A class, which was made up entirely of Norwegians except for two boats, the favoured Landmark 43 "White Shadow" with Karl Otto and Maren Magda Book came out on top. Thomas Robberstadt and Per Haugen followed in second and third place with the Swan 45 "Zorro" and Per Sortedal and Frode Johansen with the XP-44 "Snekkas". Arno Böhnert and Christian Heermann finished eleventh in their First 36 "Salicornia" after a slow start in the only long World Championship race.

Among the 28 boats from nine nations in Group C, two Norwegian duos and a Swedish team made it onto the podium: Yngve Amundsen and Ove Henning Asgard won with the X-35 "Akhillevs-X" ahead of Martin Moe and Iselin Koksvik Dahl on the sister ship "Vortex" and Lars Bergkvist with Anders Dahlsjo on the Farr 30 "Consensus". The best German team in the C group were Sverre Reinke and Lina Rixgens, who sailed their new Sun Fast 30 OD "Gaia" to ninth place.

The 340 nautical mile course for the large boats, 320 nautical miles for the medium class and 300 nautical miles for the small boats was more challenging this year: it began in the beautiful Oslo Fjord with a leaden calm, occasionally offered some punchy conditions and ended with lighter winds and the thriller final in class B on the course to the finish harbour of Tønsberg. The Norwegian Dehler crew had already laid the foundations for their victory at the start. "They led the way, got a wind field in the extreme light wind start in the fjord that nobody else got. They sailed really well," bowed third-placed Michael Höfgen at the finish.

The battle with the autopilot

I think we drove four patent jibes" (Michael Höfgen)

Höfgen's team also got better and better over the course of the only long World Championship race. Many sail changes on the Arcona 385, which was only taken over in April and had not yet been fully optimised, demanded a lot of strength from Michael Höfgen and Eckhard Kaller in the double-handed world championship. "There was a lot more baller, and at times even more boom in the box," recalls Michael Höfgen. However, the bucking autopilot and the lack of basic settings caused problems for the duo: "You can use the B&G autopilot under engine power, but in the waves: no chance! There's also no-one who can set it up properly or explain it to you. I think we drove four patent jibes," Michael Höfgen was still tearing his hair out the day after the final.

His co-skipper Eckhard Kaller added with a slightly desperate smile: "And then try operating the thing with gloves or salt fingers ..." The autopilot "always worked briefly", then built up in the wave, "at some point displayed 'rudder overloaded'" and then "simply switched off", according to Eckhard Kaller. He continued: "You can't simply switch off the autopilot yourself, you have to stop it manually first. Before that works, the mainsheet flies around your ears." According to Höfgen, his crew had to steer almost the entire time. "That was a blatant act."

The new Code sail, on the other hand, was a gain. "The Code with a 55 per cent centre width is almost like a giant genoa, only more bulbous. We've even managed 35 degrees in four or five knots of wind. You can almost sail downwind with it, although of course you can't cross," explains Michael Höfgen. Overall, the only German podium team at the World Championships was satisfied with the predominantly light wind performance of the new boat, which is intended to fulfil the ambitious regatta and cruising requirements of its owner.

"Lightworks" on course after World Cup success

"I think we sailed well overall. We always sailed the boat fast, apart from a short half-hour low that we both had almost at the same time because we simply couldn't take any more. We were always right at the top in the polars," summarises owner Höfgen. For him, the bronze medal is the second two-handed World Championship medal in two years, following his two-handed silver with Max Gurgel in 2022. It has not yet been decided whether he will make a third attempt.

I'm looking forward to family sailing, catching crabs and barbecuing" (Michael Höfgen)

The Arcona 385 is primarily intended for family holiday fun in the summer. "I'm looking forward to family sailing, catching crabs and barbecuing," enthuses Michael Höfgen. Lake Constance sailor and North sailmaker Eckhard Kaller will also be smiling as he bids farewell to Oslo after the award ceremony on Saturday: "This World Championship was great, very intense. It was a lot of fun."

Click here for the results of the ORC Two-handed World Championship 2024.

This was the trailer for the ORC Two-handed World Championship 2024: