Code Zero e KS Global Yelken top ORC perfromers at Bosphorus Cup

The 2022 Bosphorus Cup ran some close racing under the ORC rating system, with the Greek-flagged Grand Soleil 42R, Michalis Belegris’s Code Zero, coming out on top in ORC 1. In the smaller boats of ORC 2, Mehmet Dinçay’s Platu 25, KS Global Yelken Takimi, was the winning crew.

Event founder and organizer Orhan Gorbon is keen to see ORC-rated competition develop in the country. “ORC is not the official rating system in Turkey, and tends to be used only for sportsboat regattas, not for other handicap events,” he said. “We want to help promote the wider use of ORC in Turkey and believe that currently Bosphorus Cup is the only offshore boat regatta providing an ORC ranking.”

In the 16 nautical mile coastal race that started the competition on Friday 23 September, Oeru Valentin’s Swan 42 SetSail from Romania was the clear winner on handicap, finishing 1 minute 58 seconds ahead of the Bulgarian entry, Chocolate, a Farr 40 skippered by Swiss sailor Francois Bopp. The brand new Mat 1220, Serhat Altay’s Arkas Blue Moon, finished her first ever race in third place, 21 seconds in front of Code Zero in fourth place. In ORC 2, KS Global Yelken Takimi beat Anguel Lingorski’s Bulgarian team on Italia 9.98 OneSpirit by 1 minute 50 seconds.

When it came to the evening race, a windward-leeward two-lap contest closer to the Asian shore of Istanbul, Code Zero was in a different league. The Grand Soleil 42R ghosted around the light-wind race track to finish 2 minutes 59 seconds ahead of Blue Moon on corrected time. In ORC 2, Urcun Canel’s J/80 Goldphone J-Erapi won by 2 minutes 4 seconds from OneSpirit.

For the Bosphorus Race on Saturday 24 September, the breeze was blowing a good 14 knots down the Strait that separates the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. On the 13 nautical mile up-and-down race which started from just off the shore from the spectacular Dolmabahce Palace, Code Zero again set the pace. Belegris and his crew finished 2 minutes 33 seconds ahead of SetSail, with another Romanian team, Theodor Liviu Dumitrescu’s Italia 9.98 Hope in third place. In the ORC 2 10-mile race up the Bosphorus, KS Global Yelken Takimi won by just 37 seconds from Goldphone J-Erapi. Those 37 seconds made the difference between victory and second place, so KS Global Yelken Takimi was overall winner of the ORC 2 division.

Orhan Gorbon commented: “We would like to thank the international boats as well as the Turkish boats who came to the event with their ORC certificates. Bosphorus Cup is eager to grow the influence of the ORC within the event and also help ORC's population grow in Turkey.”