Please select your home edition
Edition
Zhik 2024 December

104 teams ready for Alexela ORC World Championship 2021

by Offshore Racing Congress 6 Aug 2021 01:39 PDT 8-14 August 2021
Alexela ORC World Championship 2021 was preceded by the warm-up regatta OneSails Cup 2021 © Gerli Tooming

After a one year hiatus in competition last year, the annual ORC World Championship returns to the international yachting calendar, this year with title sponsor Alexela's support and organization by the Kalev Yacht Club in beautiful Tallinn, Estonia. A total of 104 entries from 12 nations are registered for competing in three classes, each with its own World Champion titles and awards.

Organizers of the event have made outstanding efforts to create a safe environment for all participants, with policies and protocols reflecting the latest guidelines from the local authorities. There is no anticipated interruption of events, and all participants will be kept informed and assisted.

After three days of Registration, Inspection, Measurement and a Practice Race and Opening Ceremony on Sunday, 8 August, racing will commence on Monday, 9 August with a long offshore race in the Baltic, finishing the following day. Then on Wednesday and Thursday, 11-12 August, short Inshore racing will be held on four course areas near Tallinn. On Friday, 13 August there will be a short offshore race finishing the same day, followed on Saturday 14 August with more inshore racing and the Closing Ceremony.

The fastest boats in the fleet are in ORC Class A, with 8 entries on the start lines. Most teams are quite strong, with several being veterans of past ORC championship events, but a favorite in this class could be Tillmar Hansen's TP52 OUTSIDER from Germany. Even with their boat being brand new to them at the 2018 ORC/IRC Worlds in The Hague, Hansen and his team still managed to earn Silver medals at the event.

ORC Class B is four times the size of Class A with 33 teams, and is also full of numerous experienced teams, some even past ORC World and European champions. In the last ORC championship event held in the Baltic - the 2019 Europeans in Oxelosund, Sweden - there was a fierce battle throughout the event among five X-41's and a Landmark 43 for the top positions.

All are back next week, some with different names and new owners and teams, and some the same. Aivar Tuulberg, former European Class C Champion, has a new Swan 42 Club KATARIINA II in Class B, and have already proven their supremacy at the ORC Italian Championship last month. So, it will be very difficult to pick any favorites what promises to be a very competitive class.

ORC Class C is enormous - 63 entries - so race organizers will split the class to race in two groups in a heat system. This is a common practice in large small boat fleets, but unusual in big-boat inshore and offshore racing.

Nonetheless, this super-sized Class C in Tallinn will have several former World and European champions once again battling for medals: teams like the reigning Class C World Champion from 2019, Ott Kikkas's Italia 11.98 SUGAR 3 with their mixed Italian and Estonian crew; Juss Ojala's J-112E MATILDA 4 from Estonia, the 2019 ORC Class C European champion; and Patrik Forsgren's modified First 36.7 TEAM Pro4U from Sweden, the 2017 ORC Class C European champion. This will be a highly-competitive class to watch.

As a prelude to the Worlds, about one third of the fleet - 34 teams - opted to race in the One Sails Cup held at the same venue in Tallinn over the past two days. Five windward-leeward races were held in light to moderate conditions. Yet this was not the only pre-ORC Worlds competition held in the eastern Baltic this season: three prior events - the Moonsund Regatta, the Estonian and Finnish ORC Nationals - also provided opportunities for teams in the region to get themselves ready for the main event.

The Alexela ORC World Championship 2021 is additionally supported by the City of Tallinn, Sportland, Saku, Alter Marine, Amserv, Forus, Rotermann City, Pantaenius, Telia, Postimees, Deinhard and OneSails. The organizers of the Alexela ORC World Championship 2021 are the Kalev Yacht Club, Pärnu Yacht Club, Tallinn Yacht Club, Estonian Yachting Union and the Tallinn Olympic Sailing Center.

Quick Links:

Related Articles

Solaris Cup 2025 concludes
Eighty yachts, four days of racing and celebrations The 11th edition of the Solaris Cup concluded with great success, welcoming 80 Solaris yachts and nearly 1,000 participants to the stunning waters of Porto Rotondo from May 29 to June 1. Posted on 3 Jun
Getting excited for the Van Isle 360
Quoting a famous line from Pink Floyd's "Time" As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, I find myself thinking about the last time I did this race, a certain Pink Floyd song, and the great adventuring, sailing and time with friends that awaits. Posted on 3 Jun
Sailors look ahead to 20th Ida Lewis Distance Race
PHRF will have its own share of excitement this year Set for its 20th running in 2025, the annual Ida Lewis Distance Race has solidified its reputation as a well-organized, competitively challenging overnight offshore event. Posted on 29 May
The Spanish Navy set for 43 Copa del Rey MAPFRE
With four boats on the starting line The 43rd edition of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE will see a strong presence from the Spanish Navy, which will deploy a four-boat squadron across multiple classes, reaffirming its long-standing ties to high-performance sailing. Posted on 29 May
78th Annual Block Island Race
A test of grit, teamwork, and offshore strategy The 78th edition of the Block Island Race, hosted by the Storm Trysail Club, delivered classic Northeast spring conditions and a course that tested every sailor's resilience, tactics, and teamwork. Posted on 28 May
Copa del Rey MAPFRE surpasses 100 entries
Still almost two months to go until the start The Copa del Rey MAPFRE continues to exceed expectations — and this year, it's doing so well in advance. Posted on 23 May
IMA Maxi Europeans Inshore Series overall
Bella Mente by Hap Fauth crowned the Champion 2025 in Sorrento With the overall victory of Bella Mente, owned by American Hap Fauth and skippered by Terry Hutchinson, the curtain falls on the Tre Golfi Sailing Week 2025. Posted on 22 May
Block Island Race preview
Most of the fleet will tackle the traditional 186-nautical-mile course from Stamford This year's start time has been moved up two hours from prior editions to take advantage of increased daylight and potentially fairer conditions in Long Island Sound. Posted on 21 May
IMA Maxi Europeans Inshore Series Day 3
North Star & Proteus win today's races, while Bella Mente holds a solid lead overall It was an intense day on the water for the Maxi fleet in the penultimate act of the IMA Maxi European Championship, the last stage of the 2025 Tre Golfi Sailing Week. Posted on 21 May
IMA Maxi Europeans Inshore Series Day 2
Bella Mente wins on corrected time in the coastal race The second day of inshore racing at the IMA Maxi European Championship delivered another spectacular show in the Gulf of Naples, with breathtaking scenery and challenging weather conditions. Posted on 20 May
Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025Allen Dynamic 40 FooterMackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOM