Klaipėda ORC European Championship 2026, Lithuanian double and Estonia's SHADOW victory define the Volfas Engelman Leg
Lithuania’s KETURI VĖJAI and RHINO celebrated a home one-two in Class AB, while Estonia’s SHADOW mastered the lighter conditions to win Class C in Friday’s Volfas Engelman Leg at the Klaipėda ORC European Championship 2026.
The short offshore race offered a different test after two days of windward-leeward competition. Moderate, occasionally fading winds placed greater emphasis on sail selection, navigation, and maintaining speed through the lightest sections of the course.
ORC Class AB started at 10:05 for a 48-nautical-mile race, followed by Class C at 10:15 on a 40-nautical-mile course. Both fleets sailed up to Palanga near the coastline before zigzagging around inflatable marks positioned in the open Baltic Sea back towards Klaipėda. As the second offshore score of the championship, the result is non-discardable, adding extra importance to every decision and every corrected-time margin.
KETURI VĖJAI fights back from last to first
For Karolis Janulionis and the crew of the modified X-41 KETURI VĖJAI, today’s race began in the worst possible way. A late start in light wind and current left the Lithuanian team at the back of the fleet during the opening minutes. Instead of allowing the mistake to define their race, the crew settled into a long recovery. “We had a disaster at the start,” Janulionis said. “We were late, and after about a minute we were probably dead last. From there, we focused on our speed and kept gaining little by little.”
Over more than eight hours of racing, KETURI VĖJAI worked its way through the fleet and eventually secured its first victory of the championship. “It feels great,” Janulionis said. “It is our first race win at this regatta, and after everything that happened at the beginning, we are really happy that it worked out.”
The result was particularly significant for a team that had spent only six or seven days sailing its current boat before the championship. “We are still getting used to it,” Janulionis explained. “What we have seen is that in winds up to around ten knots, the boat can be very competitive.”
The Lithuanian celebration continued with the Italia 11.98 RHINO, skippered by Saulius Pajarskas, taking second place. RHINO finished 4 minutes and 4 seconds behind KETURI VĖJAI on corrected time. Championship leader DIXI 5, the Danish XR-41 skippered by Erik Stannow, placed third. It was the first time in the series that the Danish team had finished outside the top two, but the result was still enough to preserve a commanding overall lead.
Sweden’s Ker 40 NEMO ROSSO, skippered by Hans Broman, was the fastest Class AB yacht around the course again. It completed the 48 nautical miles in 7 hours, 36 minutes and 51 seconds to claim line honours.
The corrected-time victory, however, belonged to KETURI VĖJAI, which had almost ten minutes’ margin ahead of DIXI 5 in corrected time. For Janulionis, the result makes Saturday’s final race especially significant. KETURI VĖJAI and RHINO are separated by only 2.5 points in the contest for the remaining podium positions. “It is all to play for tomorrow,” Janulionis said. “We expect tight racing and will give it our best. It is the first time such a major regatta has taken place here, so to be this close to a medal on our home waters is a great feeling.”
Comments from Karolis Janulionis
SHADOW finds its conditions and controls Class C
After struggling to find its best speed in the strong winds and short, choppy waves earlier in the championship, Estonia’s Arcona 340 SHADOW came alive in the lighter conditions of Friday’s short offshore race. The team, led by skipper Harles Liiv, bought the boat last winter and is still learning how to unlock its performance across different wind and sea states. Friday’s lighter breeze and flatter water proved much better suited to the yacht.
“The feeling was completely different,” Liiv said. “We had the best start and very good speed both upwind and downwind. When you combine teamwork, speed, a good start and choosing the right side of the course, you get a result like today.”
That strong opening allowed SHADOW to reach the first mark in second place, behind STONY X and ahead of ARABELA-CITADELE.
The first ten-mile reaching leg offered more tactical complexity than the open water initially suggested. Liiv said the fastest route to the mark was confined to a relatively narrow corridor, which SHADOW worked hard to control. “The sea looks wide, but there was actually a very narrow line towards the mark,” he explained. “We controlled that line well. Closer to shore, there was less wind, so we kept control of the situation until the downwind mark.”
Comments from Harles Liiv
From there, the Estonian team protected its position and remained at the top of the predicted corrected-time standings. Once the final calculations were completed, SHADOW secured victory by 7 minutes and 17 seconds.
The Italia 9.98 F SUGAR, skippered by Henri Roihu, finished second, continuing an exceptionally consistent run after taking the same position in each of Thursday’s three inshore races.
The local MAT 11 ARABELA-CITADELE, skippered by Raimondas Šiugždinis, completed the corrected-time podium, finishing 10 minutes behind the winner. Before the handicaps were applied, ARABELA-CITADELE provided the first celebration at the finish. The Lithuanian team completed the 40-nautical-mile course in 6 hours, 46 minutes and 35 seconds to claim Class C line honours.
Its MAT 11 sistership STONY X, skippered by Steen Toftebjerg, followed just over five minutes later and placed fourth on corrected time.
Kristoforas Akromas, pitman aboard ARABELA-CITADELE, said the competition between the two sisterships was helping both teams understand the new design. “We are improving the handling and our manoeuvres every day,” Akromas said. “The competition with STONY X is giving us valuable insights into what we can improve over the winter.”
The Lithuanian team moved into the lead on the upwind section before protecting its advantage through the fading breeze. “We took over the lead on the upwind leg and kept building from there,” Akromas explained. “Near the end, we found some areas with almost no wind, which created tension, but we found a way through and maintained our distance.”
Comments from Kristoforas Akromas
For SHADOW, the victory confirmed the boat’s potential while also highlighting the work still required in stronger conditions. “We did not have enough time to sail the boat before this championship, so we are still figuring things out,” Harles Liiv said. “If the final race brings lighter wind, then hopefully we can be fast again. A fast sailor always looks like a smart sailor.”
A race designed around time, not distance
Principal Race Officer Eckart Reinke explained that the short offshore race was designed around the expected sailing duration rather than a fixed target distance. “You look at the weather forecast the day before and design the course to come as close as possible to the intended duration,” Reinke said. “It is not measured only in miles, but in sailing time.”
As in the long offshore race, the lack of suitable permanent navigation marks in the open Baltic required the Race Committee to place inflatable marks offshore. “We put marks around ten miles from the coast and sent the boats to the farthest point first before they zigzagged back towards Klaipėda,” Reinke said.
The pressure of the non-discardable score was visible at the start. Although a few seconds lost on the line would have little impact over many hours of racing, one boat was recorded OCS after crossing early.
Comments from Eckart Reinke
Leaders hold firm as the championship reaches its final race
With seven races completed, including two non-discardable offshore scores, DIXI 5 and Garmin Team Pro4u remain in command of their respective championship standings.
In Class AB, DIXI 5 leads on eight points. Behind the Danish team, the battle for the remaining medals is much closer. RHINO holds second on 16 points, with KETURI VĖJAI only two points behind in third.
Class C remains led by Sweden’s Garmin Team Pro4u, skippered by Patrik Forsgren, on 11 points. Estonia’s SUGAR follows on 15, while Denmark’s STONY X holds third with 27 points. The next three Class C teams are separated by only one point. ARABELA-CITADELE is fourth on 37 points, LUMI fifth on 37.5 and DIA sixth on 38, setting up another close contest on the final day.
One race remains
Saturday is the final day of the Klaipėda ORC European Championship 2026, with one race scheduled in the 100 Years of Lithuanian Offshore Sailing Leg. Five inshore races have already been completed. Saturday’s sixth inshore race will complete the full scheduled championship series alongside the two non-discardable offshore races.
The first warning signal is scheduled for 12:00, and no warning signal will be made after 15:00.
The final day will conclude with the 100 Years of Lithuanian Offshore Sailing Leg prize-giving at 17:30, followed by the Official Prize-Giving and Closing Ceremony of the Klaipėda ORC European Championship, with new ORC European champions celebrated at 19:00.
A concert by THE ROOP will begin at the Regatta Village at 20:00.
Overall standings after seven races and a discard
Class AB Top 3
DIXI 5, XR-41, Erik Stannow, DEN, 8 points
RHINO, Italia 11.98, Saulius Pajarskas, LTU, 16 points
KETURI VĖJAI, modified X-41, Karolis Janulionis, LTU, 18 points
Class C Top 3
Garmin Team Pro4u, modified First 36.7, Patrik Forsgren, SWE, 11 points
SUGAR, Italia 9.98 F, Henri Roihu, EST, 15 points
STONY X, MAT 11, Steen Toftebjerg, DEN, 27 points
Full results
The Klaipėda ORC European Championship takes place from 7 to 15 August. Throughout the week, the Regatta Village at the Klaipėda Cruise Ship Terminal will welcome visitors with maritime experiences, educational activities, exhibitions, entertainment and live events offering an introduction to the world of offshore sailing.
The Klaipėda ORC European Championship is funded by Klaipėda city, partially funded by the Lithuanian National Sports Agency and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. The main partner of the event is Port of Klaipėda, and the sponsors are Volfas Engelman, Garmin, Sportland.
The Klaipėda ORC European Championship 2026 is organised by the Lithuanian Yachting Union (LYU), under the authority of the Lithuanian Yachting Union (LYU) and under the overall authority of the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC).
