2015 ORC Sportboat European Championship - Sunday set for Buoy race

by ORC on 24 May 2015 2015 ORC Sportboat European Championship - After a two hour delay ashore on Saturday, race managers from the Balatonfured Yacht Club headed out to the lake with the intent to set windward/leeward courses in the third day of competition at the ORC Sportboat European Championship.

But the shifting easterly breeze shifted even more, then died, and after another four hours of waiting it became clear conditions were not going to improve enough to allow for fair racing at all today.

So, with an uncertain forecast ahead for tomorrow and one remaining race needed to complete a valid championship, an amendment to the sailing instructions was made tonight to allow the Race Committee to give an alternate inshore buoy race tomorrow if similar style to the distance race given on Thursday. The proposed distance of this course is about 9 miles, depending on the length of the first leg.

The good news is the rain has stopped and partly sunny skies are expected tomorrow, so, weather permitting, race managers will intend to get started tomorrow on time at 10:00 after an 08:30 skipper's meeting.

Of interest to both spectators and competitors has been use of the raceQs online tracking system, where boats with smart phones can provide either live through a network connection or later through upload the tracking data for their boats during the day's racing. This is then displayed on a web page dedicated to the event.

The utility of this data will be to assist in understanding the behavior of sportboats to improve the ORC rating system, but also to understand scenarios that happen on the course.

In fact, a request was made to re-open a protest hearing held yesterday based on the tracking information shown on raceQs. Although the request was denied by the International Jury, the situation was show in impressive detail.

After racing is concluded tomorrow, awards will be made to the top ten teams in the championship, including awards for Corinthian teams sailing with all ISAF Group one sailors on board.

Top-ten standings after Races one - three:

1. Bluesmile (NED) - Smile 22 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 4 points
2. Onedesign Ruffles (TUR) Farr 25OD - 5 - 2 - 5 - 12
3. Kvartet (RUS) - O-800 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 12
4. Neoprofil (POL) - Cors T2 - 9 - 3 - 3 - 15
5. Serafina (SUI) - Saphire 27 - 6 - 5 - 7 - 18
6. Cheetah 30 (SWE) - Cheetah 30 - 6 - 6 - 6 - 18
7. Orion (HUN) - T-Jolle - 3 - 9 - 8 - 20
8. Nomad (HUN) - Elliott 770 - 7 - 7 - 9 - 23
9. Grijze Plaag (NED) - Smile 22 - 2 - 28 - 1 - 31
10. Innov8 (HUN) - Code 8 - 12 - 8 - 12 - 32