Short Offshore Race Opens the 2025 Garmin ORC DH Europeans
by Offshore Racing Congress 8 Jul 23:04 UTC
8-12 July 2025
The 2025 Garmin ORC Double Handed European Championship got under way in Helsinki with the Short Offshore Race on Tuesday, July 8. This marked the official start of racing after days of measurement, safety checks, and a practice race.
Hosted by Helsingfors Segelklubb (HSK), the opening day tested both teams and race management with shifting wind conditions and an evolving weather pattern.
The first warning signal was scheduled for 11:00, but shifting breeze forced a postponement while the race committee adjusted the starting line. The fleet was eventually sent off at 11:40. The 32.98 nautical mile course began just southwest of Melkki Island with a short upwind to the first mark, then led northeast around Truthäll and Trutkubb to port. The course then turned south to round Louekari, followed by a southeast stretch past Gråskärsbådan and the Helsinki Lighthouse, both taken to starboard.
The offshore leg continued to Ulappa S, Ulkomatala, and Gråskärsbådan East before heading north again toward the finish near the southern approach to Helsinki. Principal Race Officer Madis Ausman described the last part of the race as follows:
"We expected the last upwind leg to the finish line to be more of a one stretch leg with not too many tacks involved-only near the end-but due to a shift to the east, it became more of a true upwind with a lot of tacks involved. The shift had been predicted-just not that early. In the end, the estimated time for the whole race matched the actual elapsed time quite well, so it all worked out nicely, and everyone seems to be happy with today's Short Offshore."
Class A - Jolene Leads from the Front
Class A featured a close fight over the entire course, but it was the Swedish team Jolene (SWE 101) that emerged on top. Skipper Fredrik Rydin and co-skipper Johan Tuvstedt sailed a smart and disciplined race aboard their J/121, finishing in 4:17:44 elapsed time to take the win on corrected time.
Their margin was 14 minutes and 43 seconds ahead of fellow Swedes Nike (Shogun 43), sailed by Martin Angsell and Anna Drougge. Finland's Kaminami (Rogers 10M) with Antti Niiniranta and Peter Flinkman rounded out the podium in third, just ahead of Monkey 47.
A strong opening statement by Jolene, who recently earned silver at the Swedish Championship, positions them well for the long race ahead. According to co-skipper Johan Tuvstedt, the key to today's performance was their upwind boatspeed: "That was the deciding factor against the Shogun today. We were noticeably faster going upwind compared to previous races against them."
Class B - Tight Margins and a Shuffled Leaderboard
Class B delivered one of the most closely fought contests of the opening day, where just over three minutes separated the top three boats on corrected time. The shifting winds added complexity to the 33-nautical-mile Short Offshore course, particularly during the offshore stretch past Helsinki Lighthouse, where decisions on tactics and boatspeed proved critical.
After a protest hearing, Anemon II (Arcona 380) with August Pansell and Martin Persson, was awarded the win following the disqualification of Vitesse (J-99) with Philip Schroderheim and Jimmy Hellberg from Sweden for a breach of ORC Rule 209.4 which states that "Spinnakers shall be sheeted on the same side as the boom, except when gybing or manoeuvring". Breaching this rule, which is often known as sailing wing to wing, is not legal sailing under ORC.
Tiki Minos (Arcona 340) with Johan Karlsson and Michael Skarped from Sweden, and Finland's Team Goodio with Kim Jääskeläinen and Turo Nummi on their Mat 1010, the reigning ORC B DH Finnish Champions, completed the top 3 of the result list in this class.
The outcome was a clear reminder of how fine the margins are in offshore racing. In such a competitive field, precision across the board—on tactics, boatspeed, and rules—is what ultimately defines the leaderboard.
Class C - Pro4u Dominates, Masu Impresses
In Class C, the Swedish Garmin Team Pro4u once again demonstrated why they are one of the class favorites. Skipper Patrik Forsgren and son Emil Forsgren delivered a commanding performance on their modified First 36.7, completing the race in 4:48:48 and taking the win by more than 9 minutes on corrected time.
Second place went to Estonia's Masu (X-34), also a father-son team of Andrus and Angus Aarna from Pärnu Yacht Club, continuing to show strong form. Finland's LaChapelle (First 35), sailed by Joonas Paivarinta and Jaakko Perimaa, completed the podium just under five minutes behind.
Norway's Lethe (First 34.7) of Knudsen brothers Øyvind and Morten also deserves mention, finishing fourth and staying within 16 minutes of the leaders on corrected time.
With a wide range of boat types in Class C, the deltas began to widen after the top four, setting the stage for a highly tactical and endurance-focused championship battle.
Next Up - The Long Offshore Course is Set
The championship moves into its most challenging and final stage, the Long Offshore Race, on Wednesday, July 9.
Race organizers have just posted the course-280 nautical miles for Classes A and B, and 245 nautical miles for Class C. Sailors can expect a good mix of upwind and downwind sailing across a range of tactical situations.
The race is scheduled to start at 15:00 and is expected to take between 45 and 50 hours, depending on the actual conditions. The fastest boats in Class A are currently expected to finish after a little over 40 hours, by Friday morning, while the last boats in Class C are likely to arrive during Friday afternoon.
A mandatory Skippers Briefing will be held at 12:00 at the Blue Peter Restaurant.
The Long Offshore can be followed via the live leaderboard and tracking view from TracTrac, allowing fans and teams ashore to follow every shift, lead change, and tactical call as the race unfolds.
Full event details at: orc.org/dheuropeans2025