ORC World Championship 2026: Inshore Racing Gets Underway in Sorrento, Immediate Battle Among the Front Runners
May 11, 2026 - Sorrento, Italy - Following the offshore race of the 71st Regata dei Tre Golfi, the ORC World Championship 2026 entered its inshore phase today with an intense and technically challenging opening day on the waters of the Gulf of Naples.
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, 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 premier events on the international sailing calendar.
The fleet was split across two race areas: one further inside the Gulf, off Meta di Sorrento, and the other off Sorrento itself. On the latter course, Classes 0 and A competed, with separate starts at 12:05 and 12:20.
The day’s format featured windward-leeward racing with two upwind and two downwind legs, with the windward mark positioned to the southwest. Racing proved highly competitive, with a relatively stable wind direction but constantly fluctuating pressure.
In Class 0, the TP52 fleet once again took centre stage, with Summer Storm of Andrew Berdon winning the race and consolidating the overall lead after two races – offshore and inshore. Second place went to Mauro Gestri’s TP52 Vudu (MLT), runner-up both today and in the offshore race, placing the team second overall. Third in today’s race was the American Jon Desmond’s Pac52 Final Final.
"It was a very tricky race, with unstable wind and a lot of changes,” commented Michele Regolo, tactician of Vudu. “All the boats were very similar in performance, so every decision made a difference. We didn’t have the best start, but we managed to recover with a strong downwind leg and defend second place. It’s going to be a battle all the way to the end.”
In Class A, victory went to the reigning Class A World Champion from Tallinn, Ran, the Carkeek 40+ of Niklas Zennström, ahead of the fellow countryman, Per Roman’s GP42 Garm 24. Third place went to the American Botin 44 Interlodge 44 of Gwen and Austin Fragomen.
Italy’s Django JP (B/P Fast 40+) of Giovanni Lombardi Stronati finished the race as the provisional corrected-time winner of today’s opening inshore race before a post-race measurement penalty reshuffled the final standings.
“It was a positive day for us,” said Alberto Bolzan, the helm of Django JP. “Conditions were tricky, but the Race Committee did a good job managing the course. We sailed a solid race, and the team performed very well. It’s only the beginning of the series, but it’s important to start strong.”
Racing proved more complex on the course assigned to Classes B and C. The first race for Class B, which started shortly after those on the other course, was quickly abandoned before Class C could begin its starting sequence. After 15:00, the Race Committee, chaired by Stuart Childerley, sent the larger fleets ashore and proceeded with a race for the smaller boats.
In Class B, it was an all-Italian podium today. The victory went to the Farr 40 Mascalzone Latino of Vincenzo Onorato, with Matteo Savelli calling tactics, ahead of the X-41 Sideracordis of Pier Vettor Grimaldi and To Be, the Italia Yachts 11.98 of Stefano Rusconi, winner of the offshore race and now the overall leader after two races.
In Class C, the Cape 31 Chisum of Andrea Castrucci (ITA) took the win, followed by the Spanish Salona 37 Diputacion De Huelva DE/6 of Asociación Deportiva Canaleta and the MAT-11 Robe da Mat skippered by Joan Guiu Navarro (ESP), and helmed by Peter Buhl (DEN). However, following the protest hearings involving three boats in a mark-rounding incident, Robe da Mat was disqualified from the race, while Benedetta Iovane’s Farr 30 mod B.Lex moved up to complete the Top Three.
Tomorrow, the Race Committee aims to complete up to three windward-leeward races for all fleets, with the first warning signal scheduled for 12:00, taking advantage of the favourable forecast conditions. Wednesday’s programme will feature the coastal race around the island of Capri.
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
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