Auckland (September 24, 2024) – The countdown is on to the start of the 2024 Offshore Double Handed World Championship (ODHWC) featuring two New Zealand crews, including Sail IQ Racing Team’s own Andrew Hall and Sandra Bees.
The Auckland couple have been drawn into the second of two 12-hour eliminator races – the ‘Région Bretagne Race’ which will take the gun off Lorient at 1600 CET Thursday (2am Friday, NZ time).
Light variable winds are forecast at the start with a building breeze from the west or sou-west. That will be just one of the challenges for Hall and Bees with 10 other crews just as determined to reach the 48-hour ODHWC final starting September 29 (Sept. 30 NZT).
To achieve that, Team NZL 1 will need to be among the top 5 in their eliminator. Check out who they’re up against below, including the rock star France 1 crew of Elodie Bonafous and Basile Bourgnon who are products of the French short-handed system and considered favourites for the world title.
The ODHWC, sanctioned by World Sailing, is organised by Lorient Grand Large in association with FFVoile, the Yacht Club De France and the Royal Ocean Racing Club with the support of Cap-Regatta and Multiplast/Jeanneau. All 16 mixed gender teams in Lorient will race on one design Jeanneau Sun Fast 30s.
Hall and Bees, representing Yachting New Zealand and flying the Richmond Yacht Club burgee, have savoured three training days on the Sun Fast 30s off Brittany, including one dodging an electrical system, and are ready to roll.
Lorient La Base
Région Bretagne Race- Elimination Race Two
THE CONTENDERS
Click here to view team details for the Department du Morbihan Race – Elimination Race One
Australia – Scotty & Phillippa Cavanough
Husband and wife from Gold Coast of Australia both with big experience offshore in Class40 and Mini Transat. Both have competed in the Global Ocean Race but on different boats. Phillippa has sailed the TJV Double handed and thousands of offshore miles. Phillippa works for a large commercial rope business supplying big ships. Scotty is a pro-rigger working on racing and superyachts around the world. |
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France 1 – Elodie Bonafous & Basile Bourgnon
France 1 can be considered among the favourites for the World Championship. Elodie Bonafous, a passed J/80 World Champion, has competed in five Solitaire du Figaros and was 8th in the 2024 edition. Elodie is the first French woman to reach the podium of a stage in the Solitaire du Figaro and is aiming for the Vendee Globe 2028. Basile Bourgnon is a rising star at just 21 years old. Basile has come through the Mini Transat ranks to race in the Solitaire du Figaro coming 7th in 2024. Basile is ranked 2nd in the French Elite Offshore Racing Championship. |
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Belgium 1 – Timothée Deplasse & Alix Schouller
Timothée Deplasse is from Lorient and is a preparer for IMOCA APICIL, skippered by Damien Sequin. Co-Skipper Alix Schouller and Timothée have just returned from competing in the Tour Voile and both our sailors in the Figaro 3 Class.Spain – Aina Bauzá & David Paul
Aina is from Mallorca and has competed in the Figaro and Mini Transat. This year Aina set a new solo transatlantic sailing record in a monohull from Cádiz to the Bahamas of 30 days, 22 hours, and 34 minutes. David is a young Offshore Sailor originally from London, currently competing in the French Elite Offshore Championship aspiring to race in the Figaro.Great Britain 2 – Peter Bacon & Louise Clayton
A Corinthian Team with thousands of racing miles shorthanded. Peter has raced twice across the Atlantic, the second occasion was double handed with his son in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Louise has competed in four Fastnet campaigns, and one Transatlantic . In 2021 Louise started double handed racing on Stuart Greenfield’s classic S&S 34 Morning After. They won the Cowes-St Malo double handed fleet and completed the 1800-mile Round Britain and Ireland Race with a crew of four. |
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Germany – Lina Rixgens & Sverre Reinke
Lina Rixgens is a young doctor working in Hamburg and is a member of the city’s long established youth sailing organisation HSV. Lina has competed in two editions of the Mini Transat and her co-skipper Sverre Reinke has also competed with Lina in two-handed races. The pair intend to purchase a Sun Fast 30 which will be based in Kiel and will compete in European offshore events. |
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Netherlands 1 – Yvonne Beusker & Erik Van Vuuren
Yvonne and Erik first raced as a duo in the 2012 Global Ocean Race and have now raced thousands of miles together. Yvonne skippered J/105 Panther in the 2015 Rolex Fastnet Race doublehanded with Edith Voskamp, becoming the first all-female team to complete the race. Erik has won numerous national titles in the Netherlands and also captained the 2014 Atlantic kite Challenge; the first non-stop ocean crossing by kite. |
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New Zealand 1 – Andrew Hall & Sandra Bees
Andrew Hall, 56 and Sandra Bees, 59 will be flying the burgee of the Richmond Yacht Club in Auckland, New Zealand. Hall and Bees have financed the campaign and relied on the goodwill of the Auckland sailing community to assist, including providing boats to train on before the championship. Their first goal will be to reach the final. |
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Sweden – Anna Drougge & Martin Angsell
Anna Drougge is a highly experienced Swedish sailor including racing in the 2001 Volvo Ocean Race with Amer sports 2 with all women crew led by Lisa McDonald. Martin Angsell has won multiple Swedish championships and international medals in various disciplines, from match racing to shorthanded offshore racing. The pair have raced together numerous times, including the ORC Double Handed Offshore Championship. |
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Turkey – Onur Tok & Pelin Keskin
Onur and Pelin raced against each other as children in Optimists before Pelin took up rowing a sport. Onur continued to race including the International Dragon Class and J/70 One Design. During the Coronavirus lockdown Onur and Pelin started to make plans to race together doublehanded. They have been racing together in Beymetal Team LR for about three years.USA 2 – Erica Lush & Tim Kent
Erica Lush has sailed since she was a child and during her adult years raced extenbsivley in the 12 Metre Class. On Maiden and other Maxis, Erica has amassed over 85,000 nautical miles offshore, including racing through the Southern Ocean via the 3 Great Capes, becoming part of the first all-female crew to win an Around the World yacht race. Lush began racing double handed in 2020 as an effort to improve her all-around skills and challenge herself at a higher level and was immediately hooked. Tim Kent began racing solo in 1997 in the inaugural Chicago-to-Mackinac solo race, winning the 1999 edition. Kent entered the solo Around Alone Race in 2002 with an IMOCA 50 and placed second in Class 2. Kent also has a proven commitment to bringing more women into this sport at a high level. |
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