J/112e Silvers in ORC Worlds

(Kiel, Germany)- Kieler Yacht Club hosted the 2023 ORC World Championship on the Baltic Sea. With well over 100 boats entered, all eyes were focused on by far the most hotly contested division in the entire regatta- the 67 boats sailing in ORC C Division. 

After the first two days of racing the J/112e teams were sweeping the top three spots on the podium and were 5 of the top eight teams! A remarkable opening “gambit” for this cross-section of near-pro teams to advance club racers from Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, Denmark, and Latvia. Thereafter, greater fame and fortune was not blessed on some of them, while others escaped and mitigated difficult tactical decisions and prevailed to finish with four J/112e‘s in the top eight places overall!

Always in contention, not surprisingly, was Juss Ojala’s MATILDA 4 from Tallinn, Estonia. As a previous ORC European and two-time ORC World Champion, Ojala’s team was up against the best top pro offshore teams anyone could muster in Europe. In the end, MATILDA 4 sailed well to take the silver medal. One of the early top 3 teams was Max Habeck’s German team on AQUAPLAY, faltering towards the end of the regatta to finish in 6th place. Two other J/112Es finished just behind them, Lithuanian Karolis Janulionis’s KETURI VEJAI in 7th, and Estonian Harles Liiv’s SHADOW (a cool-looking all-black boat) settling for 8th. For more ORC World Championship sailing information