Organizers from the Yacht Club Marina Portoroz (YCMP) and the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) are welcoming all owners and teams of racing keelboats between 6.00 – 9.15 m in length, who are less than 2000 kg in weight, and have a DSPL/Length ratio of <6.00 to enter the 2019 edition of the ORC Sportboat European Championship being held over 24-30 August here in Portoroz. Those that enter by Sunday, 30 June will save €150 on the entry fee…afterwards the fee increases to €700 per team.

For this entry fee competitors will enjoy three days of measurement and practice races, a long-distance Coastal race, and three days of inshore races with top-quality race management and free dockage during the event. Competing teams can take advantage of discount accommodations at the Marina Residence Apartments located inside the Marina only 5 minutes walk from the venue and can accommodate 5 to 6 people, or the Boutique Hotel Portorose, a convenient 200 m walk from the Marina. For even greater convenience, there are also a limited number of floating vacation homes in the Marina itself. 

For those teams that may want to come and train early or just need to store their boats on site before or after the event, special discount rates are available. Teams who want to participate but may not be able to bring their own boat may consider chartering one of six available Simonis-designed Fareast 28R’s. A 6-day charter includes a race-ready boat, a set of sails from OneSails, a valid ORC certificate, and a Tohatsu ouboard engine – all for only €1500. And additional days for practice before the event are available for only €180/day. 

Already on the entry list are 31 teams from Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Croatia, USA and Cyprus, with more expected. Among them are some who wish to defend their titles from the 2018 ORC Sportboat European Championship in Porto Piccolo, Italy. For example, Davide Rapotez’s Melges 24 Destriero from Italy is entered, who won the Gold medal in Division A last year and placed third overall.

Similarly, the 2018 Silver medal winners in Division A and B are also returning: Agnes Watger’s Esse 850 Khulula from Germany in Class A and Ugo Guarnieri’s Delta 84 Chardonnay from Italy in Class B. 

Yet another team to watch who is new to this event is Piero Re Frachini’s Ultimate 30 Bandalarga, since they will have Mascalzone Latino America’s Cup veteran Flavio Favini on the helm. Favini has scored countless victories in the Mumm 30, Farr 40, Melges 24 and many other classes, and in 2016 he also won the opening act of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series in Portoroz, which means he is familiar with the venue and local wind conditions.

“We are excited to have such a great fleet coming to the 2019 ORC Sportboat championship,” said Bruno Finzi, Chairman of ORC. “This shows our rule system is embraced and works well for this small boat end of the spectrum, just as much as it does at the other end for the Superyachts. We encourage more teams to come and join this fleet in Portoroz for what should be a fantastic week of sailing in a very nice setting.”