Day Three of the 2024 ORC World Championship at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court wasn’t supposed to be a blockbuster. A tame forecast predicted 6- to 8-knot easterlies. But as the day unfolded, those numbers jumped to 10-12 knots, creating near-perfect conditions outside Narragansett Bay, east of Brenton Reef. For the locals, it was a day to remember—what many called the best conditions of the season. Principal Race Officer Tom Duggan didn’t hesitate, calling for three windward-leeward races for all classes.
For the fleet leaders—Victor Wild’s TP 52 Fox 2.0 in Class 0, Gwen Fragomen’s Botin 44 Interlodge IV in Class A, and Marcin Sutkowski’s Grand Soleil 44P Wind Whisper 44—the numbers look commanding on paper. But according to Fox tactician Andy Horton, there was nothing easy about the day.
“We came in with a strategy to keep it simple and avoid trouble,” Horton said. “We managed that, but the margins were tight. Winning today’s races required every ounce of skill, teamwork, and boat speed we’ve honed throughout the season. This has been four years in the making—Victor’s vision when he built this boat was to win the Worlds in 2020, but COVID threw that plan off track. Today, it all clicked.”
The ORC World Championship, organized by the Offshore Racing Congress since 1999, is the pinnacle for the sport’s elite, where top sailors from around the globe compete in a fair system of ratings that levels the playing field among different types of boats. The 2024 event, hosted by the New York Yacht Club, is the culmination of Newport’s summer sailing circuit, drawing boats from around the world.
Class A, however, has been a playground for Fragomen’s Interlodge IV. The competition—led by Paul Zabetakis on his Club Swan 42 Impetuous—recognizes that they’re fighting from behind. “They’re the fastest-rated boat in the fleet,” said Zabetakis. “It’s tough for us; we’re in a dogfight with boats our size while Interlodge stays ahead. We lost third place in Race 4 by just 15 seconds after nearly an hour of racing.”
That nail-biting competition has been the theme across the classes. In Class B, Wind Whisper 44 held the edge but saw the top four boats separated by mere seconds after an hour of racing. Offshore race winner John Brim’s Rima98 tied on corrected time with Andrew and Linda Weiss’s Christopher Dragon XII, both trailing the Polish boat by just seven seconds.
Even in Maxi racing, the day was tight. Jim Swartz’s Vesper may have swept the board with three first-place finishes, but each win was by mere seconds—17, 20, and 33, respectively.
The action will continue tomorrow with two more windward-leeward races, followed by buoy racing on Thursday and Saturday. A short distance race is scheduled for Friday, all leading up to the grand finale and awards ceremony on Saturday night.
The 2024 ORC World Championship is not just a sailing competition, it’s a battle of endurance, strategy, and precision. And with Newport’s winds playing along, the real star of the show might just be the weather.
September 27 to October 5, 2024
New York Yacht Club Harbour Court
Newport, R.I.
Click here for complete resultsClass 0 (6 boats) (Place, Boat, Make, Skipper, Corrected Time): 1. Fox, Botin 52, Victor Wild, 2-1-1-1, 5 points; 2. Final Final, Pac 52, Jon Desmond, 4-5-2-2, 13 points; 3. Wizard, Botin 52, Peter Askew, 1-4-4-5, 14 points.
Class A (19 boats): 1. Interlodge 44, Botin 44, Austin & Gwen Fragomen, 2-1-1-1, 5 points; 2. Impetuous, Swan 42, Paul Zabetakis, 5-7-2-4, 18 points. 3. Abracadabra, Ker 43, Don Thinschmidt, 4-3-3-8, 18 points; 4. Tio Loco, Swan 42, Henry Brauer, 6-4-4-5, 19 points, 5. Zammermoos, Swan 42, David Fast, 1-2-13-7, 23 points.
Class B (13 boats): 1. Wind Whisper 44, Grand Soleil 44, Marc Sutkowski, 5-1-2-1, 9 points; 2. Rima98, Italia 11.98, John Brim, 1-2.5-1-6, 10.5 points; 3. Christopher Dragon XII, Italia 11.98, Linda & Andrew Weiss, 3-2.5-5-4, 14.5 points; 4. Fireball, J/111 Bill & Jackie Better, 6-4-6-2, 18 points; 5. The ROCC, J/112, Al Minella, 4-8-3-5, 20 points.
Maxi North American Championship: 1. Vesper, Maxi 72, Jim Swartz, 2-1-1-1-1, 6 points; 2. Bella Mente, Maxi 72, Hap Fauth, 1-2-2-3-2, 10 points.
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