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Class winner "Gaia" in Race to the Arctic and the great ORC debate – Peiling på Seiling
October 3, 2026 · 37 min · 1K views · Svolvær, Lofoten
What this video covers
The crew of the 30-foot one-design *Gaia* secured a class win in the Race to the Arctic, a multi-leg event from Mandal to Svolvær, Norway.1:05 The team utilized a minimalist weather routing strategy, relying on the SailGrib app on a tablet for tactical planning while maintaining manual backups to verify model accuracy in northern latitudes.5:34 During the race, the crew navigated complex local current patterns, often setting a 24-nautical-mile offshore limit to avoid unfavorable conditions.7:52 In winds reaching 25 knots, they opted for a Code 0 and reefed kites to maintain control, though a broach during the final 10 miles damaged their Code 0 sail.21:35 The boat, a high-performance French-built design, features a sail wardrobe consisting of a square-top main, two jibs, A2 and A4 spinnakers, and a Code 0.21:56 The discussion highlights the ongoing debate regarding ORC weather routing scoring, emphasizing the need for race committees to provide transparent fallback systems when weather models fail to reflect actual conditions on the water.30:35
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