ORC World Championship at New York Yacht Club: New and Returning Champions Shine
by Dobbs Davis 5 Oct 16:28 PDT
September 27 – October 5, 2024
After six days of competitive racing both inshore and offshore across three classes, the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court celebrated two new teams along with a returning champion as ORC World Champions.
These teams exhibited an extraordinary degree of preparation, practice, and execution, standing out amidst six days of intense competition among 43 entries featuring elite sailors from the United States and around the world.
Two North American Champion titles were also awarded in the Maxi class series, alongside entries that initially planned to compete in Class C but ultimately raced in Class B.
Today’s final racing day was spectacular: consistent 10 to 12 knots of northerly breeze over flat water and under sunny skies led to some of the closest inshore racing experienced throughout the week, perfectly concluding a fiercely competitive world championship regatta.
The new 2024 ORC Class 0 World Champions hailed from Victor Wild’s TP52 Fox 2.0 team. Dominating this newly introduced class—first initiated at the ORC Championships this year— they won five out of seven races, amassing a commanding 9-point lead overall. Peter Askew’s Botin 52 Wizard secured the silver medal position, while bronze went to Andrew Berdon’s TP52 Summer Storm.
Since 1969, the Offshore Racing Congress has been a global leader in offering a scientific and transparent rating system promoting fair racing among diverse boat types, spanning from sportboats to superyachts. Since 1999, ORC has coordinated annual ORC World Championships and various sanctioned inshore and offshore events recognized by World Sailing, with recent gatherings attracting over 100 entries from numerous countries globally. The 2024 ORC World Championship took place in Newport, R.I., hosted by the New York Yacht Club. Registration and measurement commenced on September 27, with racing beginning on Monday, September 30, and concluding on Saturday, October 5. The ORC World Championship was supported by sponsors including Helly Hansen, Safe Harbor Marinas, Peters & May, and Hammetts Hotel. This event served as the finale of the Road to the 2024 ORC World Championship series, which encompassed four regattas in Newport, R.I., from June through October.
The Fox 2.0 team featured Andy Horton, Harry West, Chris Hosking, Cooper Dressler, Dean Curtis, Graham Post, Jareese Finch, Kelvin Harrap, Maciel Cicchetti, Ignacio Postigo, Orrin Starr, Santiago Lange, Scott Nixon, Aidan Naughton, and Lucas Chapman.
“This is Victor’s third TP52,” remarked Horton, tactician for Fox 2.0. “This boat was specifically designed for the ORC Worlds in 2020, but then Covid hit. We maintained focus on this regatta as a long-term goal, gradually fine-tuning the details necessary for this event. The right crew members and our shore team continually worked on improving the boat. This included developing sails tailored for this regatta and special reaching sails we’ve been testing for two years. The modifications and participation in other regattas were all part of our overall strategy to excel at the ORC Worlds.”
However, the journey was not without challenges for the Fox team, particularly during the Long Offshore Race, the event’s opening race.
“The start was less than ideal, and we spent the race chasing the other boats,” he explained. “During the long run, one of our halyards slipped, causing the wind instruments to fail, which left us effectively flying blind as night fell. We anticipated stronger winds, so our sails were too flat: we had the heavy-air main and J2 as our only upwind sails, making the boat feel light. I knew we were in for a tough night.”
“Despite this, the team performed exceptionally well without wind gear. Throughout the night, we fought hard. As the conditions lightened, we fell back, but ultimately came back to finish second, picking off a couple of boats in the last 30-mile leg. This was an incredible team effort.”
The ORC Class A World Champion also showcased dominance on a similar path to success. Austin & Gwen Fragomen’s Botin 44 Interlodge IV won all but two of their races against a competitive field of 19, the largest class in the championship.
“Austin and I have been racing together for around 20 years,” said Gwen Fragomen. “I’ve taken on various roles on his boats, from foredeck on a J/24 to pit on a J/105 and then trimmer on the Swan 42. Until recently, I’d never commanded the helm, so this is truly fabulous. Feeling like a world champion today is a bit overwhelming.”
She noted that this endeavor arose from their TP52 program to allow her the opportunity to helm her own vessel.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have such an outstanding team,” she stated. “I’m very passionate about ballet, viewing our crew as exceptional choreographers who execute flawlessly. My credit goes to the team and tactician Tony [Rey] for a stellar performance—better than Swan Lake!”
In addition to Rey, the crew acting as choreographers onboard Interlodge included Kris Matthews, Nick Ford, Adam Minter, Carlos Robles, Tom O’Donnell, Christian Kamp, Norman Berge, Hartwell Jordan, Jay Davis, and Brad Marsh.
The silver medalists in Class A were Don Thinschmidt’s Ker 43 Abracadabra, with bronze awarded to Henry Brauer’s Club Swan 42 Tio Loco.
The route taken by the Class B ORC World Champions was the longest of any team in this event—shipping from Poland to the Baltimore area before heading to Newport—but it was also meticulously planned for nearly three years. They drew on their previous wins in two earlier ORC World Championships in Sardinia in 2022 and last year in Germany.
Victory was confirmed for Marcin Sutkowski sailing his Grand Soleil 44P Wind Whisper 44 after strategically ensuring that their closest rival—John Brim’s Italia 11.98 & Rima98—could not finish the final race with a score lower than Wind Whisper’s 2.5-point lead entering race day. The two teams raced closely around the course, ultimately allowing both to tally discards while retaining their top two standings.
“This event was fantastic, and I’m thrilled we came to defend our title,” stated Sutkowski. “Our team comprises a blend of professionals and emerging sailors, allowing us to continuously grow and learn. We plan to keep the boat in the U.S. this winter to pursue more ORC racing. By next year, I anticipate having a new Class A boat ready for the championship.”
The complete Wind Whisper 44 crew included Joan Navarro, Aksel Magdahl, Hugo Rocha, Stanislaw Bajerski, Kacper Gwózdz, Mateusz Gwózdz, and Piotr Przybylski.
Meanwhile, the Maxis exploited excellent racing conditions today by competing in two inshore races, with Hap Fauth’s Maxi 72 Bella Mente and Jim Swartz’s Maxi 72 Vesper each winning one. Vesper emerged as the overall champion after nine total races, earning the ORC Maxi North American Championship title.
The ORC Class C North American title went to NEKA Sailing’s modified J/105 Sleeper, who also captured the all-amateur Corinthian Trophy in Class B. Bob Manchester’s J/133 Vamoose won the Class A Corinthian Trophy.
“We congratulate all the winners and podium finishers at this World Championship,” said ORC Chairman Bruno Finzi. “The race management team from the New York Yacht Club collaborated with us to provide fair and competitive race courses. The racing was consistently close, and we hope to see many of you return for next year’s ORC World Championship in Tallinn, Estonia.”
Final Results:
Class 0 (6 boats)
1. Fox, Botin 52, Victor Wild, 2-1-1-1-1-4-1-(7/DNC), 11pts
2. Wizard, Botin 52, Peter Askew, 1-4-4-5-2-(6)-2-2, 20pts
3. Summer Storm 52, TP52, Andrew Berdon, 5-3-3-3-(4)-2-3-1, 20pts
4. Vesper 52, TP52, David Team, 6-2-(5)-4-3-1-5-3, 24pts
5. Final Final, Pac52, Jon Desmond, 4-(5)-2-2-5-3-4-4, 24pts
Class A (19 boats)
1. Interlodge 44, Botin 44, Austin & Gwen Fragomen, 2-1-1-1-(3)-1-1-1, 8pts
2. Abracadabra, Ker 43, Don Thinschmidt, 4-3-3-(8)-2-3-4-2.5, 21.5pts
3. Tio Loco, Swan 42, Henry Brauer, 6-4-4-(5)-1-4-5-4, 27pts
4. Impetuous, Swan 42, Paul Zabetakis, 5-7-2-4-5-6-3-(10), 32pts
5. Zammermoos, Swan 42, David Fass, 1-2-(13)-7-6-5-7-5, 33pts
Class A Corinthian Champion: Vamoose, J/133, Bob Manchester
Class B (13 boats)
1. Wind Whisper 44, Grand Soleil 44, Marc Sutkowski, 5-1-2-1-5-1-1-(14), 16pts
2. Rima98, Italia 11.98, John Brim, 1-2.5-1-6-4-2-3-(13), 19.5pts
3. Fireball, J/111, Bill & Jackie Baxter, 6-4-(6)-2-2-3-2-1, 20pts
4. Christopher Dragon XII, Italia 11.98, Linda & Andrew Weiss, 3-2.5-(5)-4-1-4-6-3, 23.5pts
5. The ROCC, J/112, Al Minella, 4-(8)-3-5-3-5-5-5, 30pts
Class B Corinthian Champion: Sleeper, J/105 (mod.) NEKA Sailing
Class C North American Champion: (sailed within Class B) Fleetwood, Melges 32, Jeremy Alexis
Maxi North American Championship:
1. Vesper, Maxi 72, Jim Swartz, (2)-1-1-1-1-1-2-2-1, 10pts
2. Bella Mente, Maxi 72, Hap Fauth, 1-2-2-(3)-2-2-3-1-2, 15pts
3. Temptation, Art Santry/Oakcliff, (3)-3-3-2-3-3-1-3-3, 21pts
Full results can be accessed here.
Positions from all races may be replayed on the TracTrac system here.
For more information, visit nyyc.org/2024-orc-world-championship.
