Winners at ORC Double-Handed Worlds

The fifth edition of the ORC Double-Handed World Championship was held May 21-25 in The Hague, Netherlands. After four days of offshore racing on the North Sea, 29 double-handed teams from eight nations battled for the 2026 world titles.

Hosted by Jachtclub Scheveningen in co-operation with the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) as part of the North Sea Regatta, the championship combined a Short Offshore Race and the decisive Long Offshore Race to determine the new ORC DH World Champions in three classes.

The Short Offshore Race sent ORC Classes A and B over a 39.82 nm course northbound along the Dutch coast before turning offshore and returning toward Scheveningen. ORC Class C sailed a shorter 31.84 nm variation.

The championship’s decisive Long Offshore Race proved critical in shaping the overall standings and delivered nearly two days of tactical offshore racing on the North Sea in warm late-spring conditions.

Starting on Friday afternoon (May 22), shortly after 1500 hrs off the beach in Scheveningen, each class sailed its own course (Class A – 230.44 nm, Class B – 216.77 nm, and Class C – 192.59 nm). The fleet had a 15-knot south-southwesterly breeze at the start, creating a fast downwind opening before the race developed into a demanding combination of reaching and long upwind sections offshore.

The final finishers returned to Scheveningen Harbour during the early hours of Sunday morning. Teams faced tactical conditions, unfamiliar currents for many, changing breeze angles and overnight navigation challenges on courses stretching between the Dutch and British coasts.

The Line Honors by classes were recorded by Germany’s XP 44 mod. LAXXI in Class A, completing the course in 34 hours, 17 minutes and 54 seconds, the Dutch JPK 10.30 JETPACK in Class B in 34 hours, 3 minutes and 46 seconds, and the Dutch J/109 TEAM HEINER 4 in Class C in 29 hours, 30 minutes and 48 seconds.

Scored under ORC’s Weather Routing Scoring (WRS) system, the Long Offshore Race carried a higher scoring coefficient of 1.5 compared to 1.0 for the Short Offshore Race.

The strongest overall performance of the championship came in Class A from the Dutch duo Robin Verhoef and John van der Starre aboard the XR 41 X-ESTEEM, who won both races of the event to become the 2026 ORC DH World Champions in Class A.

Their success also marked another major milestone for the new XR 41 design, which claimed the fully crewed 2025 ORC World Championship title in Tallinn, Estonia, and has now added an ORC Double Handed World Championship crown.

Second overall in Class A went to another Dutch team, Frans van Capelle and Thei van Hout aboard the J/122 E MOANA, while Germany’s Kai Stuebane and Knut Sundermann secured third place with the XP 44 mod. LAXXI.

Class B was dominated by the Dutch JPK 10.30 JETPACK, sailed by Diederik Forma and Martjin Graafmans, who mirrored X-ESTEEM’s achievement by winning both the Short and Long Offshore Races to secure the world title.

Second overall in Class B went to Walter Kollmann and Wick Hillege aboard the J/99 LÄLLEKÖNIG, while Matthijs Hardeman and Peter Korver completed the podium aboard the Sun Fast 3600 ONE & ONLY.

Class C delivered the closest overall battle of the championship. After leading the standings following the Short Offshore Race, Sweden’s defending world champions aboard the Corby 25 ALTISSIMUS and Lithuania’s Platu 25 BESTIJA both received penalties in the Long Offshore Race after entering obstruction zones, opening the door for a major reshuffle in the final standings.

Ultimately, the title went to the Dutch Sun Fast 3200 WAVERIDER, sailed by Willem Schopman and Max Deckers, whose consistent performance across both races secured the 2026 ORC DH World Championship title in Class C.

Second place overall was claimed by America’s Cup winner Simeon Tienpont and Bas Sijstma aboard the J/35 FEVER, while Olympic medalist Roy Heiner and Jelle Lourens completed the podium aboard the J/109 TEAM HEINER 4.

“This championship showcased everything that makes double-handed racing so special,” said Regatta Director Edwin Lodder at Jachtclub Scheveningen. “Great competition, tactical sailing, teamwork, endurance, and the unique atmosphere of the North Sea. We are proud that Scheveningen could host such an outstanding world championship.”

Final results (Top three):

Class A
1. X-ESTEEM (XR 41, NED) – Robin Verhoef / John van der Starre 1-1.5 2.5 pts
2. MOANA (J-122 E, NED) – Frans van Capelle / Thei van Hout 2-3 5 pts
3. LAXXI (XP 44 mod., GER) – Kai Stuebane / Knut Sundermann 3-5.6 8.6 pts

Class B
1. JETPACK (JPK 10.30, NED) – Diederik Forma / Martjin Graafmans 1-1.5 2.5 pts
2. LÄLLEKÖNIG (J-99, NED) – Walter Kollmann / Wick Hillege 2-4.8 6.8 pts
3. ONE & ONLY (Sun Fast 3600, NED) – Matthijs Hardeman / Peter Korver 5-4.5 9.5 pts

Class C
1. WAVERIDER (Sun Fast 3200, NED) – Willem Schopman / Max Deckers 1-4.5 5.5 pts
2. FEVER (J-35, NED) – Simeon Tienpont / Bas Sijstma 5-3 8 pts
3. TEAM HEINER 4 (J-109, NED) – Roy Heiner / Jelle Lourens 6-6 12 pts

Results: https://data.orc.org/public/WEV.dll?action=index&eventid=nishi
Event details: https://orc.org/dhworlds2026