Big year for Norway

Jon Amtrup previews this year's IMS Worlds and Farr Nordic Championship

The waters off Hankø in the Oslofjord, Norway will once again be the scene for international big boat racing in 2007. The ORC has chosen it as the location for the 2007 IMS World Championship and the Farr 40 Nordic Championship.

Hankø is a place that has drawn international sailors since the very first regatta took place there in 1906. The hospitality of Hankø Yacht Club, the picturesque island and of course the fantastic sailing that the waters have to offer are the things that people talk about and return to.

This year it is going to be a very hectic season for big boat sailing in Hankø. In July over 30 Farr 40s will gather to sail the Nordic Championship. The regatta will draw both royals and international rock stars alike. The Nordic Championship is a warm up regatta for the Farr 40 World Championship in Copenhagen at the end of August.

The decision to bring the Farr 40 circuit to the Scandinavian countries has also resulted in growth in this highly competitive one design class. There will most likely be four or five Norwegian boats, one or two Swedish and three or fourDanish boats on the scene. The championship will be held on 5-8 July.

"The water just outside the island of Hankø offers the best race courses in Norway, some would say some of the best race courses in the world. We are really looking forward to seeing both the Farr 40 and the IMS boats for some great racing here", says Jan-Erik Næss, Secretary General of The Royal Norwegian Yacht Club, which has taken on the massive task of hosting both championships. "It will be a warm up exercise for our 125th anniversary next year, so we will not take on lightly the task at hand. Right now we are putting the organisational pieces together with our partners: Fredrikstad Seilforening, Hankø Yacht Club, The Norwegian Offshore Racing Club and Sail Logic."

The IMS World Championship will officially start on 11 August and will comprise three days of inshore races, plus one short and one long offshore race. The winner will be decided on 18 August. The Norwegian Offshore Racing Club expects 40-50 boats from all over Europe, and His Majesty King Harald is expected to take his Farr 51 Fram XV out of the shed to take part in the championship. Last year he turned his sailing focus to the TP 52 class, but a World Championship in his home waters is too good to miss out on.

"We had 32 IMS boats on the starting line for our national championship last year and a total of 45 boats in our national IMS ranking. We are really proud that ORC has recognized our work for the class by letting us arrange the World Championship," says Thomas Nilsson, chairman of The Norwegian Offshore Racing Club.