ORC Double Handed European Championships

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dunedin

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The ORC Double Handed European Championships got underway with a short offshore race of just 37 miles.
Odd to see that nearly half the fleet retired from the first race. Powerful opening test in Altea as Short Offshore Race launches 2026 ORC Double-Handed Europeans

Yes was a bit of breeze, but up to 35 knots is not unusual in offshore racing, and a short steep chop in waves of up to 2m. Might expect that level of retirals in a club race. But one would expect a Championship fleet to be rather more experienced and prepared for the conditions?
 
To someone peripherally involved with D/H in the UK that entry list is wild. It honestly looks like the D/H entry list we used to get back in the day racing the royal Southern events. Almost no specific D/H designs, just C/Rs giving it a go. I count 1 Sunfast 3300 and one J99. No JPKs at all! And someone is doing a D/H event in a Swan 45! And a DK46!

Contrast to the UK doublehanded scene
The Teams | UK Double Handed Offshore Series — UK Double Handed Offshore Series

Or look at the D/H results of the last fastnet.
SAILRACEHQ

Honestly I think the ORC entry list is way healthier for the sport. Those boats also have a role doing crewed events. The UK / Northern France fleet are almost entirely single purpose D/H offshore boats.

But I think that tells you why the attrition rate was high, this doesn't look like a championship event for people who have made this type of racing their sole focus, it looks like a "hey, we could try this as an extra". Which also probably explains why it's in March, not in peak season when the boats are probably doing other things.
 
flaming said:
To someone peripherally involved with D/H in the UK that entry list is wild. It honestly looks like the D/H entry list we used to get back in the day racing the royal Southern events. Almost no specific D/H designs, just C/Rs giving it a go. I count 1 Sunfast 3300 and one J99. No JPKs at all! And someone is doing a D/H event in a Swan 45! And a DK46!

Contrast to the UK doublehanded scene
The Teams | UK Double Handed Offshore Series — UK Double Handed Offshore Series

Or look at the D/H results of the last fastnet.
SAILRACEHQ

Honestly I think the ORC entry list is way healthier for the sport. Those boats also have a role doing crewed events. The UK / Northern France fleet are almost entirely single purpose D/H offshore boats.

But I think that tells you why the attrition rate was high, this doesn't look like a championship event for people who have made this type of racing their sole focus, it looks like a "hey, we could try this as an extra". Which also probably explains why it's in March, not in peak season when the boats are probably doing other things.
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Excellent summary.
I am not an expert like you, but also thought the event date and entry list didn’t look like a competitive ORC Championship event, more a club regatta.
 
flaming said:
True, but that's still a good turn out...

And still begs the question why D/H specific boats aren't popular in the Med?
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No idea but a lot of double handed races, or races with diuble handed classes, start from les sables or la trinite or lorient.
I think the first big event is probably spi oest
 
potentillaCO32 said:
No idea but a lot of double handed races, or races with diuble handed classes, start from les sables or la trinite or lorient.
I think the first big event is probably spi oest
Click to expand...
At least it is good that the event moves around rather than just fixed in one location, to promote different attendees.
I see last year was in Finland in July (would be ice yachting in March), with more of the modern 2 handed types of boats.
 
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