The wind may have taken its sweet time showing up today, but that didn’t stop the drama at the 2024 ORC World Championship, hosted by the New York Yacht Club at Harbour Court. After a delayed start, two more nail-biting windward-leeward races brought the action right back, with five inshore races now complete and discards shaking up the leaderboard.
Class 0 remains dominated by Victor Wild’s TP52 Fox 2.0, but in a shocking twist during Race 6, the powerhouse slipped to fourth place. David Team’s TP52 Vesper stole the win, with Andrew Berdon’s Summer Storm and Jon Desmond’s Final Final hot on their heels. Just 26 seconds separated Summer Storm from Vesper, while Final Final trailed by a razor-thin 2 seconds. With four boats now tied for second behind Fox, the class is shaping up for a serious showdown.
In Class A, Austin and Gwen Fragomen’s Interlodge IV kept their hold at the top, leading by 9 points despite a slip to third in the first race of the day. The win went to Henry Brauer’s Tio Loco, a Club Swan 42, marking his first victory in the series. Don Thinschmidt’s Abracadabra took second, just 35 seconds ahead of Interlodge IV.
“We’re pretty pleased with things so far,” said Abracadabra tactician Brad Boston. “We’ve got new sails and a fresh rig, and we’re still getting used to it. But with each race, we’re getting better.”
Class B saw a shakeup as well. Polish frontrunner Wind Whisper 44, skippered by Marcin Sutkowski, stumbled to a fifth-place finish in the first race, allowing Linda and Andrew Weiss’s Christopher Dragon XII to take the win by just 7 seconds over Bill and Jackie Baxter’s Fireball. With discards factored in, the competition is fierce: only half a point now separates Wind Whisper 44 from runner-up Rima98, skippered by John Brim.
The Maxi class added to the day’s drama. Jim Swartz’s Vesper snatched the first race win with a slim 19-second margin over Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente. But in Race 6, Art Santry’s Temptation pulled off a photo-finish victory, edging out Vesper by just 2 seconds.
On Friday, racers will take on another distance challenge, with the course to be announced. Saturday will wrap up the event with more intense buoy racing, followed by an awards ceremony in the evening.
September 27 to October 5, 2024
New York Yacht Club Harbour Court
Newport, R.I.
Click here for complete results
Class 0 (6 boats) (Place, Boat, Make, Skipper, Corrected Time): 1. Fox, Botin 52, Victor Wild, 2-1-1-1-1-(4), 6 points; 2. Vesper 52, TP52, David Team, 6-2-(5)-4-3-1, 16 points; 3. Wizard, Botin 52, Peter Askew, 1-4-4-5-2-(6), 16 points.
Class A (19 boats): 1. Interlodge 44, Botin 44, Austin & Gwen Fragomen, 2-1-1-1-(3)-1, 6 points; 2. Abracadabra, Ker 43, Don Thinschmidt, 4-3-3-(8)-2-3, 15 points; 3. Tio Loco, Swan 42, Henry Brauer, 6-4-4-(5)-1-4, 19 points, 4. Zammermoos, Swan 42, David Fast, 1-2-(13)-7-6-5, 21 points; 5. Impetuous, Swan 42, Paul Zabetakis, 5-(7)-2-4-5-6, 18 points.
Class B (13 boats): 1. Wind Whisper 44, Grand Soleil 44, Marc Sutkowski, 5-1-2-1-(5)-1, 10 points; 2. Rima98, Italia 11.98, John Brim, 1-2.5-1-(6)-4-2, 10.5 points; 3. Christopher Dragon XII, Italia 11.98, Linda & Andrew Weiss, 3-2.5-(5)-4-1-4, 14.5 points; 4. Fireball, J/111 Bill & Jackie Better, 6-4-(6)-2-2-3, 17 points; 5. The ROCC, J/112, Al Minella, 4-(8)-3-5-3-5, 20 points.
Maxi North American Championship: 1. Vesper, Maxi 72, Jim Swartz, (2)-1-1-1-1-1-2, 7 points; 2. Bella Mente, Maxi 72, Hap Fauth, 1-2-2-(3)-2-2-3, 12 points.
Like Newport Buzz? We depend on the generosity of readers like you who support us, to help with our mission to keep you informed and entertained with local, independent news and content. We truly appreciate your trust and support!
