ORC European Double-Handed Championship 2024 set sail in Caorle
by Offshore Racing Congress 3 May 10:34 PDT
3-5 May 2024
The start of the 2024 ORC DH European Championship in Caorle, Italy - 2024 ORC European Double-Handed Championship day 1 © Andrea Carloni
Under sunny skies and gentle breezes, the 2024 ORC European Double-Handed Championship embarked on a 200-mile journey alongside the 30th edition of La Duecento, organized by Circolo Nautico Porto Santa Margherita (CNSM) in collaboration with the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) in the upper Adriatic.
At 10 a.m., Principal Race Officer Giancarlo Crevatin gave the start signal to the twenty-nine teams from Croatia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Italy tackling the challenging Caorle-Grado-Susak route and back, totaling two hundred miles with often unpredictable outcomes. After 15 minutes, the 62-boat fleet of the La Duecento race with Multihulls, Minis, and other double-handed teams started their challenge.
Meteorologist Andrea Boscolo forecasted a thrilling yet demanding racecourse with partly cloudy skies and light to moderate north winds at the start. Boats opting for the starting pin to navigate towards the gate in front of the Church of Madonna dell'Angelo gained a favorable advantage.
Leading the fleet vying for the ORC Double-Handed European title was the Solaris 36 Furietta, skilfully manned by Riccardo De Roia and Andrea Micalli. They were followed by Andreborah, skippered by Andrea Mattiuzzo with Francesco De Cassan, X-Lady X-332, sailed by Luca Barozzi and Vincenzo Bonaguri, and Mr. Hyde, helmed by the reigning Italian offshore champions Marco Rusticali and Riccardo Rossi.
The weather forecast for the coming hours is characterized by continued unstable conditions, with light winds and local reinforcements, and variable direction due to the interference of cloud systems present, both today and tomorrow, providing a racecourse to be carefully interpreted by onboard tacticians.
For more details on participating teams, visit orc.org/dheuropeans2024
La Duecento and the ORC DH European Championship 2024 are supported by sailboat hardware producer Antal, whose equipment innovation and quality are renowned in shipyards, among the designers, sail makers, and nautical product distributors throughout the world, Zanutta, a leading construction company, and by Vennvind, the Italian brand of sailing and leisure clothing. Other supporters include Caorle Tourism, Darsena dell'Orologio - Caorle (Venezia), Birra Castello and FIV.