Two-handed Mixed World Championship: Tough lull final - Rixgens/Reinke sixth at the World Championships

Normally you rarely have to worry about wind in the Solent in September. But the final of the two-handed mixed offshore sailing world championship suffered from a lull. Although the race got underway in five to seven knots of wind on Monday afternoon thanks to the postponement of the start, the eleven mixed final duos from ten countries mainly had to contend with zero to five knots during the night and especially on Tuesday. The current was not always in their favour.

Two-handed mixed world championship: better than the first time

"The way it went, we are now very happy that we were able to finish sixth," said Lina Rixgens on Tuesday evening after crossing the finish line on the way to the World Championship harbour in Cowes at sunset. Lina Rixgens and Sverre Reinke achieved their goal of doing better at their second two-handed mixed world championship than last year's seventh place in France by finishing sixth.

"But we would have liked to have been a little further ahead," admitted Lina Rixgens. She and team partner Sverre Reinke finished the preceding qualifying race in third place. After a penalty against their rivals from Uruguay, who had sealed their engine too late, Rixgens/Reinke had even moved up to second place in qualifying. However, the only German duo at this two-handed mixed world championship was not granted a place on the podium in the final doldrums.

However, the tough race could have ended differently after falling back to tenth place among the eleven participating duos, as Lina Rixgens herself realised. She said: "You don't exactly expect two days of calm in the Solent at the end of September. It could have turned out worse. The qualifying race was good sailing. The final not quite as nice."

This doldrums shift was pretty tough." Lina Rixgens

Due to the lack of wind, the final start was not in the Solent but at the Needles. The finish line had also been placed outside the Solent to avoid the total dumping. The French winners Théa Khelif and Thomas André mastered the course, which was shortened to 100 nautical miles, in 1 day, 37 minutes and 54 seconds. They had also won their qualifying race and finished the world title series with a clean slate. Click here for the final results.

Thomas André had already said after qualifying: "The balance between aggression and control makes the difference. That's exactly the discipline we'll need in the final." The Frenchman was in the race with Figaro, match racing, mini and Ilca experience.

France, Great Britain and Uruguay on the World Cup podium

A good half hour later after the French winners, it was not the British defending champions Cal Finalyson and Maggie Adamson, who finished ninth this time, but their younger compatriots Zeb Fellows and Willow Bland who crossed the finish line in second place. World Championship bronze went to the crew from Uruguay who had been penalised in the qualifying race: Dominique Knuppel and Federico Waksman crossed the finish line just ten seconds after the British at the end of a dramatic duel.

They were followed by the crews from Norway and New Zealand, before Lina Rixgens and Sverre Reinke finished sixth in the two-handed mixed world championship. Commenting on the race, Lina Rixgens said: "The long cross after the start was really okay until we rounded the outside of the Isle of Wight. We only saw 13 knots of wind briefly once, mostly eight to ten. The wind then dropped rapidly in the south of the island. We were still being pushed back and forth by the current."

Four knots was the absolute highlight. That went on all night and the next day too." Lina Rixgens

Without wind, but with power, the race became a lottery at times. Sometimes one team won, sometimes the other. Rixgens and Reinke were also lucky at times, such as at a buoy about 15 nautical miles east of the Solent entrance, when they were the last boat with the leading five-man group to just make it round the mark. While the following boats then "starved", failed to reach the buoy and drifted backwards, the five leading boats were at least pushed in the right direction by the current.

Two-handed mixed world championship: a final to tear your hair out

Before the next mark, Team Germany was almost ready to drop anchor. "It was hair-raising," said Lina Rixgens, describing the pitfalls of this final run. The five to eight knots that finally carried the German team to the finish under code zero were a relief. "Overall, we made a lot of sail changes. You can't keep the big gennaker under two knots, so you have to go back up with the code zero every time," Lina Rixgens reported on the special challenges of this World Championship final.

The winners and challengers of the Two-handed Mixed Sailing World Championship will be honoured in Cowes on Wednesday. The next edition of the Two-handed Mixed Sailing World Championship will take place in the Olympic area of Marseille in 2026.