Raymarine ORC Doublehanded Norwegian Championship Underway with Skagen Race Start
29 May 2025 - Holmestrand, Norway - The 2024 edition of the Skagen Race began on Wednesday, May 28, from Holmestrand, marking the start of a special offshore challenge - the Raymarine ORC Doublehanded Norwegian Championship. Organized by Bærum Seilforening and hosted from Holmestrand Seilforening, this year’s race brings together over 40 double-handed teams competing in a single ORC class.
Among the competitors are world champions and offshore veterans, including Volvo Ocean Race sailors, highlighting the exceptional level of this year’s championship. The format features two offshore legs:
• Leg 1: Holmestrand to Skagen – started Wednesday at 14:00 alongside the main Skagen Race fleet
• Leg 2: Skagen to Hankø – set to begin on Saturday morning, with a free course determined by conditions
For the first time in the Norwegian Championship, ORC Weather Routing Scoring is being used. This advanced scoring system accounts for weather variations and routing predictions, ensuring a fair and performance-based result across a diverse fleet.
What were the expectations
Axel Nissen-Lie from SEILmagasinet met with organizer Harald Masst from Bærum Sailing Association and participant and Shorthanded Sailing Norway representative Sigmund Hertzberg at the host club’s clubhouse.
“This will be a tough national championship. The level is very high, with world champions and Volvo Ocean Race sailors on the starting line,” says Hertzberg, who sails the Dehler 30 Hyrrokkin. Hertzberg and his teammate Tim Sandberg won the ORC Double-handed Worlds' race from Oslo last year and are among the favourites. While the World Championship had three classes, the Norwegian Championship combines small and large boats into one class.
Halvor Skøyen and Runde Tønnessen, who won the Worlds in the smallest class, are competing. So are Karl Otto Book and Maren Book, who won the largest class. For the Norwegian Championship, they’re sailing a borrowed First 34.7.
"There are 40 boats registered, which is great,” says Hertzberg. The number of participants in the Double-handed National Championship has been declining in recent years, but now the trend is reversing. Hertzberg believes that a proper offshore race suits this type of sailing best.
“It was a great idea to combine the Skagen Race with the national championship, and it’s something we’d happily do again,” says Masst.
Despite a declining trend in participation in recent years, the 2024 event has shown renewed interest and substantial entry numbers, reinforcing the appeal of challenging offshore formats in double-handed sailing.
The first leg is now complete, with teams recovering and preparing for the next stage from Skagen to Hankø. Final results will be based on the combined time of both legs, with tie-breaks decided by total elapsed time.
Stay tuned for updates and results as the race continues.
