With
over six months
to go before the
start of racing,
organizers from
the Merenkävijät
Sailing Club and
the Finnish
Offshore Sailors
Association have
already
attracted 42
entries from six
countries to the
Audi ORCi World
Championship,
held over 4-11
August 2012.
Based on the
historic
fortress island
of Särkkä in
Helsinki harbor,
this 14th annual
ISAF-sanctioned
event is
expected to
attract an
additional 30-40
teams from
another four
countries in
boats ranging
from 33 to 60
feet in length,
and when racing
is finished will
crown two new
offshore World
Champions.
The
Audi ORCi World
Championship
will top a long
list of over 125
national and
international
ORC events held
in 40 countries
for 2012, with
most now listed
here.
Among these are
two major
continental
events, the
ORCi European
Championship
at YC Punta Ala
in Italy, held
over 23-30 June,
and the
ORCi
Mediterranean
Championship,
held over 10-16
June in Cres,
Croatia, site of
the 2011 World
Championship
event that drew
119 entries from
16 countries.
ORC National Championships will also be held this year in 14 countries on 3 continents, including Germany, Latvia, Peru, Holland, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Spain, Russia, Croatia, Norway, Cyprus and Austria. Other ORC national and regional championship events are also being planned but are not yet finalized, including an ORC Iberian Championship for Portugal and Spain, an ORC National Championship for Portugal, and an ORC Brazilian Championship.
"This is an impressive calendar of events for this year, more than held last year," said ORC Chairman Bruno Finzi. "We're also becoming more active in ensuring that the quality of these regattas is improving to the standards we outline in the ORC Green Book and to the high expectations of the sailors. This year's World Championship in Helsinki, for example, we have full confidence will be a fantastic world-class event for all involved: sailors, organizers, media, sponsors and other participants."
Among the entries committed to race in Helsinki are some past World Champions keen on winning World titles once again. These include Christian Plump from Germany, who won the 2010 ORCi World Championship in Class A in Flensburg, Germany on his Rodman 42 Beluga Sailing Team but this year will be campaigning his new J/V 42 Elena Nova. Jurgen Klinghardt, who won the Class B World title in Flensburg, will also be in Helsinki with his German team on his X-332 Sport patent 3. Even current World Champions Alberto Rossi with his Farr 40 Enfant Terrible and Giuseppe Giuffre with his M-37 Low Noise have hinted that they may come from Italy to defend their respective Class A and Class B titles earned last year in Cres.
Planning for the event has been organized to attract a variety of interests for all participants leading up to, during and after the racing.
"We have already had seminars given by rating and design experts from the international sailing community, and plan to have more seminars in the coming months," said Merenkävijät Sailing Club Manager Pekka Lopmeri. "We are also promoting Baltic Offshore Week over 1-4 August as a tune-up event for the Worlds, as well as the X-41 World Championship immediately following the ORCi Worlds. And while the teams are racing on their courses in the Gulf of Finland, on shore there will be many events affiliated with the Helsinki being named the World Design Capital 2012, including performances made by international rock artists in the Flow Festival."