Great Britain wins Offshore Double Handed World Championship

Lorient, France (October 1, 2024) – Maggie Adamson and Cal Finlayson (GBR) are the 2024 Offshore Double Handed World Champions, topping the 22-team field racing Sun Fast 30 One Designs.

Runner up by just 65 seconds in the 151 nm finals was Elodie Bonafous and Basile Bourgnon (FRA) with Charlotte Yven and Lois Berrehar (FRA) in third. Missing the top three due to a technical error was Jonas Gerckens and Djemila Tassin (BEL).

After two qualifying heats, the top ten mixed teams competed in the final race which had conditions ranging from 30 knots and two metre swell to zephyrs of wind with flat calm.

During the race, the wind direction moved 180 degrees and the offshore islands and Brittany Coast produced game changing effects on the prevailing wind. Eight of the ten teams were featured in the top three boats during the race.

A dramatic final leg in light airs resulted in the lead changing hands on numerous occasions. Just a few miles from the finish, the four leading boats were neck-and-neck peeling to spinnakers but Adamson/ Finlayson (above) kept their Code Zero flying to hold on to their slender lead to win the World title.

“I can’t really believe that it has happened,” commented Adamson. “We hung in there, we never give up. At the end, we saw a little bit of breeze towards the shore and we were getting freed off, so we went in for that.

“We held the Code Zero a little bit longer, we had both our spinnakers ready to go but we felt that we were a bit faster with that set up. It is just those little things; keeping your head out of the boat worked, we just stayed focused.”

Finlayson added, “I am too tired to take it all in. It was a good fight, we were all bobbing around the last mark, 24 miles from the finish, and it was a case of getting the boat moving in the shutdown, which is always a bit tricky.

“The two French teams got moving and slipped ahead of us and it went right down to the wire from there. To beat such great sailors is surreal to be honest, especially in Lorient, the home of French offshore racing.”

The lone North American team in the finals was Benjamin Daniel/ Sarah Nicholson (CAN) which finished eighth overall.

Play-by-play:
The first leg of the final race was a 50-mile blast reach south in big breeze and mountainous waves. Elodie Bonafous/ Basile Bourgnon (FRA) reveled in the full-on conditions opening up a lead of over three miles. Lina Rixgens/ Sverre Reinke (GER) and Maggie Adamson/ Cal Finlayson (GBR) were leading the chasing peloton of Sun Fast 30s behind the French leaders.

Unfortunately for Erik Van Vuuren/ Yvonne Beusker (NED), gear failure resulted in retirement after impressing with a cracking start.

After sunset, the fleet entered Quiberon Bay, where wind shadow from the islands and local currents created a tactical scenario of cat and mouse. Bonafous/ Bourgnon were still leading, but a hitch north cost about a mile of their precious advantage.

Negotiating the course to the north of Belle-Île proved to be very complex. Bonafous/ Bourgnon went west, presumably anticipating the forecast shift in wind to the north. The shift did not materialize for ten hours and the boats behind caught up the leaders. For the first time in the race, Bonafous/ Bourgnon looked vulnerable. The big climbers in the rankings were Jonas Gerckens/ Djemila Tassin (BEL) and Benjamin Daniel/ Sarah Nicholson (CAN).

At the final mark, 24 miles before the finish, Bonafous/ Bourgnon were finally passed, having been in pole position for 127 miles. The tenacious British team of Adamson/ Finlayson was the new leader, battling with the two French teams – Bonafous/ Bourgnon and Charlotte Yven/ Lois Berrehar (FRA).

As the leaders headed east for the finish, the wind faded almost completely. The top five boats, led by Great Britain, compressed together on the water. The two French teams battled with the Brits, with two consistent performers being Gerckens/ Tassin and Waksman/ Justina Pacheco (URU).

The stage was set for a dramatic finish, won by just 65 seconds by Maggie Adamson/ Cal Finlayson (GBR). Maybe the British Code Zero against the spinnakers of the French and Belgians was the difference. Maybe the Brits just found better breeze? The rest, as they say is history!

Race details – Tracking – Entry list

The 22 original entries were divided into two groups which each advanced the top five from the first elimination race and second elimination race. The Final race had been delayed one day to allow the strong westerly winds to ease, which was the fourth low pressure system that had battered Lorient during the championship.

Source: RORC