Only one upwind-downwind race was held in the “100th Anniversary of Lithuanian Offshore Sailing” stage on Saturday, which determined the new European champions and prize winners.
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“The feeling is very good. We fulfilled all our expectations and even more. When we arrived, we hoped to be maybe in the top five. Then we learned that large yachts were also added to our group, so there was great uncertainty about how we would compete with them. Considering all this, we are really very happy,” said Karolis Janulionis, captain of the new European vice-champions crew “Four Winds,” after the finish.
“Four Winds” started the “100th Anniversary of Lithuanian Offshore Sailing” stage today in third position, but after a duel on the course with the “Rhino” crew, they rose to second place.
The first place in the AB group was won by the Danish team “Dixi 5” (captain Erik Stannow), which was last year’s world vice-champion in group B.
“We are very happy with what we managed to achieve in a fairly short time. On the other hand, we felt really strong competition throughout the championship – it was a close fight. In summary – a really great championship and a result that pleases us,” said “Dixi 5” captain Erik Stannow after the last race finish.
He was pleased not only with the victory but also with the entire event and its organization.
“It was a great event – races on the water, the opening ceremony, all the award ceremonies on shore. Many thanks to the organizers – you did a great job. We would gladly come back here again,” said E. Stannow.
In the AB group, Lithuanian crews “Four Winds” and “Rhino” also won gold and silver in the so-called “Corinthian” (amateur) classification.
In group C, the highest – fourth – position among Lithuanian teams was taken by the “Arabela-Citadele” (captain Raimondas Šiugždinis) team. They also won second place in the “Corinthian” classification.
“Of course, our expectations were higher. However, disqualification in the first stage essentially blocked the way to compete for medals. Despite this, we recovered emotionally and raced all week. We had the opportunity to really explore the capabilities of our new boat and see how and where we can still improve something,” said “Arabela-Citadele” captain R. Šiugždinis after the finish.
According to him, it is very pleasing that with the championship taking place at home, two Lithuanian crews will step onto the podium to receive European championship medals.
The group C champion was the Swedish crew “Garmin Team Pro4U” (captain Patrik Forsgren). In second place – Estonia’s “Sugar” (captain Henri Roihu), third – Denmark’s “Stony X” (captain Steen Toftebjerg).
“We are extremely happy. We proved that we can compete at the highest level, even though we are a new team. But we pushed our limits until the very end. So we are very happy with today’s results. Overall, it was a wonderful two weeks. Klaipėda is a beautiful city and we would definitely like to come back here,” said the “Garmin Team Pro4U” team.
Not only participants but also representatives of the international ORC organization were pleased with the championship organization and events both on the water and on shore.
“Coming to a foreign country, which is not yet very well known to sailors, we inevitably had some concerns – would everything go well and would there be any problems? But there were no problems at all. I found a very professional team here and we created a really great event. I am very satisfied with how everything was organized,” said ORC vice president Ecky von der Moselis after the last stage.
The European ORC championship in Klaipėda took place all week from August 7 to 15. Alongside the sea races, where 5 stages with 8 races were held – 2 offshore navigational and 6 upwind-downwind – a Regatta village operated on shore all week. There, everyone interested could participate in marine education, creative activities, entertainment, and get closer to sailing.
