ORC World Championship 2026: Coastal Race Around Capri Defines Day Three of the Inshore Series
May 13, 2026 - Sorrento, Italy - Day three of inshore racing at the ORC World Championship 2026, taking place between Naples and Sorrento from 6 to 14 May, featured the traditional coastal race around the island of Capri, adding further spectacle and complexity to the championship week.
Organised by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia, in collaboration with the Yacht Club Italiano (Genoa) and the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia (Naples), in conjunction with the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC), and supported by Rolex and Loro Piana, the championship once again confirms its status as one of the most prestigious events in international offshore sailing.
The day saw a coastal race ranging between 19 and 25 nautical miles, with two separate starts: Classes 0 and A on a more inshore area, while Classes B and C started further offshore, just off Sorrento. All fleets rounded the island of Capri, leaving it to port, before heading back towards the Sorrentine Peninsula.
Conditions were variable, with overcast skies and scattered thunderstorms across the area. A rain shower hit the fleet shortly before the start, followed by a steady breeze of around 10 knots up to the Faraglioni of Capri. From there, Classes B and C headed back towards Sorrento via a mark off Punta della Campanella, while Classes 0 and A sailed further offshore towards a mark outside the protected marine area of Ieranto, before also returning via Punta della Campanella.
Class 0, sailing the longest course of approximately 25 miles, experienced two general recalls before the final start. Italy’s Vudu (Mauro Gestri) took line honors, followed by the Wallyrocket51 RocketNikka (Roberto Lacorte) and the American Final Final (Jon Desmond).
The provisional overall standings, with one day remaining, still see Summer Storm (Andrew Berdon) in the lead, followed by RocketNikka and today’s winner Vudu.
In Class A, Sweden’s Ran (Niklas Zennström) was first to complete the course, ahead of Italy’s Lisa R (Giovanni Di Vincenzo) and Selene – Alifax (Massimo De Campo).
Ran also leads the overall standings after six races, with a solid margin over Lisa R (Giovanni Di Vincenzo), while Selene – Alifax remains in third place.
“It was a very positive day for us: we sailed well after Capri and finished second, a result that puts us second overall as well,” said Fabio De Simoni, trimmer of Lisa R, competing in Class A. “The upwind leg to Capri was challenging, with 9–11 knots and a choppy sea, but by choosing the left side of the course we gained a lot. Rounding the island was the trickiest moment, with waves and very little wind. From there on, we managed the sails well, first with the Code Zero and then downwind towards Punta Campanella in light conditions, before finishing with building breeze towards the line.”
In Class B, victory went to Mascalzone Latino (Vincenzo Onorato), with Matteo Savelli on tactics, ahead of Argentina’s Katara (Julian Somodi) and the Dutch Flying Dolphin Too (Willem Ellemet).
“It was a very difficult race, with rough sea and crossed waves that made even steering the boat challenging,” said Vincenzo Onorato, owner and helmsman of Mascalzone Latino. “In these conditions, everyone was more or less lucky, but tactics made the difference. Matteo Savelli did an excellent job. For tomorrow, we’ll see – everything is still to play for.”
Comments from Vincenzo Onorato
In the provisional overall standings, Malta’s Technonicol (Georgi Kolesnikov) remains in the lead, followed by Katara and Mascalzone Latino, all within ten points.
In Class C, Italy’s Chisum (Andrea Castrucci) was the fastest of the day, ahead of Robe da Mat (Luigi Buzzi) and B.Lex (Benedetta Iovane), for an all-Italian podium.
“A very tricky start, with the wind dropping just minutes before the gun,” said Peter Buhl, helmsman of Robe da Mat (Mat-11 by MAT Yachts). “Then the breeze filled in near Capri and we managed to get back into the race thanks to a strong team and good decisions, especially on the west side of the island where sail configuration made the difference. We’re happy, but also aware that the standings are still wide open.”
“This boat was designed specifically for ORC Class C together with MAT Yachts and designer Matteo Polli,” added skipper Joan Navarro Guiu. “We had limited time to prepare, but the work done so far is allowing us to compete at the top of the fleet.”
Commetns from Peter Buhl and Joan Navarro Guiu
Chisum also leads the provisional Class C standings, followed by Lady Day 998 (Corrado Annis) and Sease (Franco and Giacomo Loro Piana).
Tomorrow will see the final two windward-leeward races, scheduled to start at 12:00. Forecast conditions indicate building breeze between 12 and 15 knots, which could prove decisive in determining the world titles.
With the first race of Thursday's schedule, teams will be able to discard their worst result of the series, excluding both the offshore race and today’s coastal race. The first warning is scheduled for 12:00 hrs. The new ORC World Champions will be celebrated in the late afternoon at the Tre Golfi Sailing Week regatta village.
ORC 0 – Top 5 after 6 races
- 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗠 (TP52, USA) - Andrew Berdon 1-1-1.5-1-1-11 16.5 pts
- 𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧𝗡𝗜𝗞𝗞𝗔 (Wallyrocket 51, ITA) - Roberto Lacorte 4-5-3-2-2-2 18 pts
- 𝗩𝗨𝗗𝗨 (TP52, ITA) - Mauro Gestri 2-2-4-10-4-1 23 pts
- 𝗗𝗝𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗢 𝗪𝗥 (WallyRocket 51, ITA) - Giovanni Lombardi 3-4-5-6-5-4 27 pts
- 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 (PAC52, USA) - Jon Desmond 7-3-10-3-7.5-3 33.5 pts
ORC A – Top 5 after 6 races
- 𝗥𝗔𝗡 (Carkeek 40+, SWE) - Niklas Zennström 4-2-4-2.5-1-1 14.5 pts
- 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗔 𝗥 (Ker 46, ITA) - Giovanni Di Vincenzo 3-7-13-7-2-2 34 pts
- 𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗘 - 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗔𝗫 (Swan 42 Club, ITA) - Massimo De Campo 2-10-3-12-6-3 36 pts
- 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗔𝗡 𝗩 (Swan 42, ITA) - Nicola De Gemmis 1-8-6-2.5-8-12 37.5 pts
- 𝗗𝗝𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗢 𝗝𝗣 (B&P Fast 40+, ITA) - Giovanni Lombardi Stronati 6-3.7-19-1-3-5 37.7 pts
ORC B – Top 5 after 6 races
- 𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗢𝗟 (X-41, MLT) - Georgi Kolesnikov 5-4-1-1-2-5 18 pts
- 𝗞𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗔 (PG390, ARG) - Julian Somodi 2-7-3-6-3-2 23 pts
- 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗭𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗢 (Farr 40, ITA) - Vincenzo Onorato 7-1-2-2-15-1 28 pts
- 𝗪𝗕 𝗜𝗫 (XR41, ITA) - Gianclaudio Bassetti 3-8-6-4-5-4 30 pts
- 𝗙𝗟𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗢𝗟𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗢𝗢 (X-41, NED) - Willem Ellemet 6-6-4-5-9-3 33 pts
ORC C – Top 5 after 6 races
- 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗨𝗠 (Cape 31, ITA) - Andrea Castrucci 15-1-1-15-6-1 39 pts
- 𝗟𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟵𝟵𝟴 (Italia 9.98 F, ITA) - Corrado Annis 6-4-14-8-4-7 43 pts
- 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 (Farr 30, ITA) - Giacomo & Franco Loro Piana 19-8.5-2-2-8-4 43.5 pts
- 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗢𝗠 𝟮𝟰 (Vrolijk 37, CYP) - Evgenii Tiapkin 3-6-8-15-1-11 44 pts
- 𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗘 𝗗𝗔 𝗠𝗔𝗧 (MAT-11, ITA) - Luigi Buzzi 2-DSQ-6-5-2-2 56 pts
The race can be followed live via TracTrac Live tracking available here.
The event is supported by leading partners including Rolex and Loro Piana, as well as North Sails, Deloitte, Ferrarelle, Ottogas, Garmin, Banca Patrimoni Sella & C., Caffè Borbone and Azimut Investimenti.
ORC Partners are Vennvind, TracTrac, PredictWind, Garmin and Leica Geosystems.
2026 ORC World Championship in Naples & Sorrento, Italy
ORC Event Website: orc.org/worlds2026
Website: tregolfisailingweek.com/en/orc-world-championship-2026
Facebook: facebook.com/tregolfisailingweek & facebook.com/offshoreracingcongress/
Instagram: instagram.com/tregolfisailingweek/ & instagram.com/orcsailing/
YouTube: youtube.com/@ORCsailing
Photo galleries: ORC Flickr albums
#ORCsailing #orcworlds2026 #tregolfisailingweek
Related articles
