Windy conclusion to the 2019 ORC European Sportboat Championship
by ORC Media 2 Sep 09:11 PDT
24-30 August 2019
Division A racing along the scenic and historic Piran waterfront - 2019 ORC European Sportboat Championship © Jana Pines / YCMP
The 2019 ORC Sportboat Championship ended in victory for Sergio Caramel's Melges 24 Arkanoe' by Montura in Division A and Ugo Guanieri's Delta 84 Chardonnay in Division B.
The event was held from August 24 to August 30 and saw 29 teams from eight nations race in six inshore races and one coastal race for the Championship, which was organized by the Yacht Club Marina Portoroz in collaboration with Jadralni klub Ljubljana, the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) and with the support of Marina Portoroz.
After four days of light winds, conditions took on a different turn for the last day of the event. The much-anticipated northeasterly wind called "burja" came in on time and blew with 8-15 knots for the majority of the day, allowing the race committee to complete the full program.
On the last day of racing Race Six started at 11 o'clock under a cloudy sky and half of the fleet headed left towards the open sea while the other half avoided big and choppy waves by sailing right, behind the peninsula of Piran in a slightly flatter sea. Piero Re Fraschini's Ultimate 30 Bandalarga went hard right and immediately took the lead. After rounding the top mark they stretched their distance from the rest of the fleet, finishing well ahead of the others. In Division B the same game plan also worked for Chardonnay, coming through with another smooth victory.
While the final race of the Championship took place in a softer breeze, there was still a tough fight for the remaining places on the podium. In Division A Arkanoe' by Montura went into the last race with only a one point advantage over Milan Kolacek's Esse 850 Bohemia Praha and two over Bandalarga while in Division B the remaining two places behind Chardonnay were in contention between Gianni de Visintini's Ufo OD Cattivik in second in the standings after six races and Beniamino Zermini's SB 20 OD Eavle in third.
Ultimately, the double bullets notched up by Bandalarga were not enough to steal the crown from Arkanoe by Montura, who finished second and claimed their first ever title of Division A European ORC Sportboat champions with a single point lead. Being all-amateur sailors, they also won the Corinthian prize for this division as well. A stellar day from skipper Flavio Favini moved Bandalarga up to second place with Bohemia Praha completing the podium on third.
In Division B Chardonnay added two more bullets to their perfect score to remain undefeated as the new Class B European ORC Sportboat champions. Eavle finished second in the last race and picked up silver as well as the Corinthian prize, leaving Cattivik losing the tie-break to finish third.
Find results and ratings here.
The event website has more information, see orcsportboats2019.ycmp.eu.