2010 ORC INTERNATIONAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OPEN FOR ENTRIES

Notice of Race published and strong turnout expected from the Baltic region & northern Europe for 5-11 September event

Flensburg, Germany – The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) and Flensburger Segel Club (FSC) are pleased to announce the 2010 ORC International (ORCi) World Championship is now open for entries. This is the only ISAF-sanctioned offshore World Championship, and will be held in Flensburg, Germany over 5-11 September 2010.

“We are honored to host this year’s World Championship in Flensburg, especially as we are celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the renowned ‘Flensburger Fördewoche’ that every autumn marks the end of season for Germany’s elite offshore sailors,” said Claus-Otto Hansen, Chairman of this year’s event. “The FSC has had a long tradition of hosting competitive international regattas for all kinds of classes, the sailing venue here in the fjord and on the western Baltic is fantastic in September, and there’s a lot of excitement and support from the city of Flensburg to have hundreds of sailors and their families visit here for the event.”

The event starts with Registration and Measurement over Sunday and Monday, 5-6 September, followed by the first day of inshore racing on Tuesday, 7 September. The following two days are scheduled for offshore racing, with inshore resuming on Friday and Saturday, 10-11 September. Should conditions require, Sunday 12 September is being held as a reserve day. Seven inshore races scored at 1.0 points each are scheduled, along with a short offshore race scored at 1.25 points and a long offshore race scored at 1.75 points. This format is mandated by the ORC’s “Green Book” of championship event standards.

Besides the usual home-court advantages over visiting teams, the German ORCi fleet will also have ample opportunity to test themselves prior to the Worlds, with numerous regattas and training sessions being held for the fleet in the next few months. The first is the “Go for Speed” seminars, organized by the Deutscher Segler-Verband (DSV) and held at the DSV building in Hamburg on 17-18 April for classroom sessions on topics such as sail trim, rules, weather, preparation and crew management, followed by on-water training over 23-25 April in Keil with Olympic Gold medalist Jesper Bank and his team of experts in a session offered with the help of Elvstrom Sails.

Another opportunity to tune up for the Worlds will be in the German ORCi Offshore Championship, which is organized in two parts. The first, held over 21-24 May, is offshore (long distance) racing in the North Sea at Helgoland as part of Nordseewoche, with the second being inshore (windward-leeward) racing held over 21-23 June in the Baltic as part of Kieler Woche.

“The ORCi fleet in Germany has always been strong,” says Boris Hepp, offshore director at DSV, “but these prior events will be great training towards the main event in September. Coming at the end of our season, we expect both the interest and the quality level of the teams to be quite high, which should make this a very competitive and memorable World Championship.”

Hepp adds that the venue and the timing of this event are perfect. “Past events here at this time in September have been fantastic, with some light air days and some windy days, but enough variation to provide an appropriate test. And the Flensburg fiord is great now that there is no commercial shipping to share the space, while the open Baltic is not far away either.”

Favorites among the German teams include Christian Plump and his modified Rodman 42 Beluga Racing, winner last year’s ORCi European Championship in Ystad, Sweden and a perennial victor in numerous other ORCi events. Other teams to watch include John Friedrichsen’s X-332 Chinook and Peter Sueselbeck’s brand-new Farr-designed Beneteau First 40 Westwind. A sistership in Australia won the prestigious Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race in ORCi, so this team will definitely be one to watch.

“We are looking forward to a great World Championship again this year,” said Bruno Finzi, Chairman of ORC. “The FSC has impressive plans for the event, and we encourage all who are interested to come and enjoy some fantastic racing suitable for this world-class regatta.”

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