OIXIO Sailing Team at the top of the pre-registration
KIRA (EST 874) - Corby 33 wins the first title of the Worlds 2023!
Already ten months before the first start, the ORC World Championship (August 4 – 12, 2023) is on record course: offshore sailing is coming home to Kiel!
At the end of the pre-registration, 128 yachts from 16 nations were entered in the list of participants, with some strong candidates still missing, who joined at the World Championship two years ago in Tallinn and the European Championship this year in Hankø (Norway). But already now the second ORC World Championship in Kiel has the chance to set new records for participants. 151 offshore yachts from 15 nations competed in the 2014 World Championship in Kiel. This mark is unrivaled until now – perhaps only until August 2023.
At the final draw of the pre-registration lottery, ORC Vice President and Head of Organization Eckhard von der Mosel has drawn the winner: the Corby 33, the OIXIO Sailing Team with the KIRA of Tauno Telvik (EST 874) wins the first title of the Worlds! The crew from Estonia wins a free entry and does not have to pay the entry fee for the start in Kiel.
OIXIO Sailing Team was started at the end of 2020 and sailed their first season in 2021. The team was initially made up of employees of Estonian IT infrastructure company OIXIO with zero previous sailing experience (aside from Taunos 2-year dinghy experience more than 15 years ago). They started out in the smallest ORC group in Estonia (ORC IV) on a 1982 Maxi Fenix with the aim of rising to the top within two years. They fulfilled their goals during the first season and decided to set sails on title competitions. Since the old boat does not qualify for ORC group C they moved to a rare and brilliant British racing boat Corby 33 and expand the team. 2022 was the first season in the tough and competitive Estonian ORC II, competing against some of the best sailors in the world! The success came quickly and so they are preparing to provide more experienced sailors with some exhilarating competitive moments in the ORC World Championship in Kiel. Which will be the first title competition for the team.
We would like to thank all teams who participated in the pre-registration and for the huge interest in the World Championship in Kiel in August 2023!
Preliminary schedule of the ORC World Championship, August 4-12, 2023:
- Friday, August 4 to Saturday, August 5: Registration & Measurement.
- Sunday, August 6: Practice Race & Opening Ceremony
- Monday, August 7 to Friday, August 11: Races
- Saturday, August 12: Final Races & Prize Giving Ceremony
Text: Organization Authority
Pictures: Point of Sailing | Tauno Telvik | Kalev Yacht Club