Barcelona and Pärnu chosen for ORC championship events

The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) confirms the appointment of the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona (RCNB) as organizer of the 2015 ORC World Championship, to be held in Barcelona over June 27 to July 4, 2015.

Joaquín Barenys, Vice Commodore of RCNB and Chairman of the Organizing & Events Committee of the 2015 ORC World Championship, expresses the satisfaction for RCNB to host this major intercontinental sailing event:

"For the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona it is a great satisfaction for us to be the organizer of the 2015 ORC World Championship. Our Club, throughout its 140 year history, has had the opportunity to host major sailing competitions and we are confident that our experience coupled with the renewed enthusiasm of the organizing team can provide a magnificent event."

The major events of the ORC Circuit have been highly successful in the last several years, including the ORC European Championship three weeks ago in Valencia and the upcoming ORC World Championship in Kiel in two weeks, where over 150 entries are expected. For 2015 the same success is expected for the ORC Worlds at RCNB and its host city.

The dates of this offshore World Championship, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), have been carefully selected to fit in the global yachting calendar in order to minimize conflicts and maximize participation. And like all ORC World Championships in the last several years, over 100 entries are expected to participate from around the world.

"The dates chosen - June 27 to July 4 - makes us very optimistic about the number of participants expected," adds Barenys, "Barcelona, with over 10 million visitors annually, has excellent hotel infrastructure and communications. We are grateful for the strong support of the City of Barcelona and the rest of the institutions which allow us to organize a world championship event according to the sporting tradition of our city and our club."

Spain has an important role for ORC, with a large fleet of competing yachts that participate in numerous national and international trophies carried out on the Spanish coast. These include such major events as Trofeo de Conde de Godó in Barcelona, Copa del Rey-MAPFRE in Palma de Mallorca, and Trofeo S.M. La Reina in Valencia.

"The ORC is excited about the appointment of Barcelona to host the ORC World Championship 2015," said Bruno Finzi, Chairman of ORC. "The city has an amazing track record of organizing regattas worldwide and we have no doubt that the ORC World Championship 2015 fits perfectly into this tradition. It will be a very interesting test for both local participants and all those who come here to compete."

Another major event on the ORC Calendar for next year is the 2015 ORC European Championship, to be held over August 10-16, 2015 in Pärnu, Estonia. Organizers from Pärnu Yacht Club and Kalev Yacht Club have been in the planning phases on this event for nearly a year already, and have also made dates available which best match the needs of both the regional and international sailing calendars.

Representatives from both events will be making presentations during the 2014 ORC World Championship being held in two weeks in Kiel, Germany, along with a team from the Royal Danish YC who are proposing a 2016 ORC World Championship event in Copenhagen in 2016.

"We are fortunate to have such strong interest from organizations who wish to host ORC Championship events," says Paolo Massarini, Chairman of ORC classes and Events Committee. "Being able to announce a year before these events that the ORC World Championship will be under the organization of the RCNB and that the ORC Europeans will be in Pärnu is a major step to the success of the 2015 sporting calendar. Next year will have many events of great value and we have worked hard to coordinate schedules for all."

For more information about the 2015 ORC World Championship, visit the event website at www.barcelonaorcworlds2015.com.

For more information about the 2015 ORC European Championship, visit the event website at www.orceuropeans2015.com.

For more information about the 2014 ORC World Championship, visit the event website at www.orcworlds2014.com.