Near-perfect conditions yesterday provided a fantastic ending to four days of competition at the Dr Irena Eris ORC European Championship Gdansk 2017. Two hard-fought final races determined the new 2017 European ORC champions in each of three classes, and while ultimately the winners were yesterday's series leaders in each, they had to fight to the end to keep themselves at the top of their respective podiums.

In Class A Tea Ekengren-Suaren's Swan 45 Blue Nights from Finland did what they needed to do to stay on top. By winning the first 6.3-mile race, their 2-2-1-2-1 scoreline was almost unassailable in the last race: they just had to make sure their closest rivals from Denmark - Erik Berth's Swan 45 Tarok VII - did not win this race to put them tied in points and win the tie-break. While doing this, Alex Seehaufer's Soto 40 Sportfreund had a great 3-1 day to move up to take the Bronze medal slot. For Blue Nights and Sportfreund this was their first podium finishes in a major ORC championship.

Class C was much like Class A, where a dominant team had to just continue doing what got them to the top and not make mistakes. Patrik Forsgren's modified First 36.7 Pro4U from Sweden did just that by scoring their second win of the series in today's first race, then staying clean and close to their closest competition in a shifty and contentious second race that featured two general recalls and a Black Flag. The racing was so close in fact that Pro4U had to share 3rd and 4th place points with a boat well behind them, Juss Ojala's First 34.7 Jazz from Estonia, but it made no difference: they finished well-clear of the runner-up and last year's Class C champion, Aivar Tuulberg's Arcona 340 Katariina II.

Winners in the Corinthian Division of all-amateur crews were Tarok VII in Class A, Peter Buhl's Swan 42 Sirena from Denmark in Class B, and Pro4U in Class C.

Full results: orceuropeans2017.com

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