Double Handed Offshore Worlds Debrief

The 2025 Double Handed Offshore Worlds was hosted by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in Cowes this year, bringing 21 teams from 14 different countries. All placing their efforts to win this years title, in tricky conditions provided by the Solent. Two weeks prior to the worlds, Megan and I had competed in the Sunfast 30 National Champs held in France. This was a great opportunity for us to train in a racing environment and helped us prepare for what was to come at the worlds. So arriving into Cowes we felt primed and ready and after an afternoon training session to blow off any cobwebs, we couldn’t wait to get on that start line.

With 21 teams competing and only 11 boats available to sail, the fleet was split up into two groups. Qualification 1, and qualification 2. The first 5 boats to finish from each fleet would advance through to the final race, and a repechage race would then be held with a winner takes all, to decide the last spot available in the final. We were in qualification 2, and that meant we had to wait around until qualification race 1 was complete. It was a strange feeling to come to a regatta to race and then not race for a few days.

Our race day came around eventually and we started the day with a pre race briefing. A 140nm course was set, having us exit the solent to the west before turning left to make a lap of the island. Then head to Brighton and back to the finish. The forecast was for a northerly wind, coming off the land so many small wind shifts to play. But our first challenge was to make it out of the Solent..

Qualification race

1 minute to go before the start and boats were starting to line up along the start line. I placed myself towards the boat end because I had a particular strategy in mind that I was wanting to play. The start gun goes and we are off! We hit the line at speed and we had won the boat end, shortly after tacking off to the right. We were instantly surprised to see no boats follow. As the tide was ripping out of the solent and I had opted to tack early and find relief from the current. Splitting off from the fleet was a risky move and as boats I had split from found a shift I was quickly worrying that I had made the first mistake. Sticking to our guns, we continued to split right and found our moment to come back. Re approaching the fleet we realised our plan had played off and we soon found ourselves crossing in front of most of the fleet! There was one boat that split left and found a big left shift and we rounded the first mark only a few boat length behind what was first place. 

Putting up the A2 spinnaker we had a downwind ride all the way out of the Solent. It was a clear day with the sun shining which made the needles chine bright as we passed them. Arriving at our next mark we had to drop the spinnaker and turn to sail upwind towards the southern end of the Isle of Wight. We were holding second nicely and even managed to create a small gap to the boats behind and gain slightly on the French in front. As we approached st Cathrine, the south point of the island. The sun was approaching the horizon and the wind was turning light and shifty. We extended off st Cathrines point a little too far and soon felt a bad wind shift. Then having to tack back into land to avoid opposing current our losses were gigantic, loosing four places in the space of 20 minutes. We had gone from 2nd to 6th and now fighting to get back into the top 5.

Tacking up the shore around the back of the island, the tide eventually turned as darkness fell. As the land cooled the breeze build and very quickly we were sailing in strong wind against tide conditions. Sailing up to the next mark we managed to close in on the boats that had overtook us and it was then a drag race to Brighton, more or less on one tack. 

Approaching the next mark in full darkness we struggled to see it. The mark was apparently un-lit so we took an extra wide turn around the plotted coordinates and started our run back to the finish at Cowes. We had lost a bit more distance at this mark and to the finish It was a straight line with 58nm to go and not many passing lanes. We kept sailing as fast as we could towards the finish and around 10am we crossed the line in 6th place, narrowly missing out on qualifying for the finals. After reaching the dock, instead of catching up on sleep and eating some nice food, I was on my second adventure. My adventure to the accident and emergency center... 

Adventure Two

At some point during one of the last mark roundings, I had banged my knee on something. During the moment I had no idea I had event hurt myself. Thirty minutes had passed and whatever adrenaline I had was wearing off, some pain was starting to settle in. Getting worse and worse as we were sailing closer to Cowes and the finish, I was struggling to move around the boat. When we got to the dock I could hardly walk and my knee was the size of a rugby ball! Off to A&E it was to learn that I had damaged my bursa and it was 3-4 weeks to recover. 

The following morning I attended the race briefing for the repechage race, somewhat believing that I was capable of sailing even though I was unable to move from A to B without crutches and pain. I was out for redemption as I knew what we were capable of however my co-skipper talked some sense into me and made me realise that I was completely unable to sail.  Unfortunately my injury would result in Megan and I withdrawing our entry to the repechage race, finishing our world champs then and there.

All in All

A really tough decision to accept mentally as we wanted to achieve a good result that reflected our capabilities. However that’s life and shit happens.. We spent the remainder of the regatta watching the racing from our devices and from the comfort of the couch with my leg raised. and being iced. I knew it was the right decision not to race when I was only able to start walking 3 days later. 

Definitely not the way we wanted to finish our world champs, however I think we are now even more determined to come back and redeem ourselves. At least I can look back on a great time spent on the water sailing with Megan. I enjoyed every second and learnt lots on the way. Not just about sailing and but about myself. 

Big thanks to Yachting New Zealand for selecting us for this regatta, its always a huge honour to represent NZ. Next time I will stay on my feet.

Big thanks to the organisers and the tech crew at Cap Regatta for all the hard work they have done over the last weeks for this event.

And shout out to the cool group of sailors involved and our kiwi mates Anna and Aron for finishing 5th!

And BIG congrats to the winners of the event, well deserved and well sailed

Until next time! For now I am on the road to recovery and my focus shifts to my figaro project and getting on the start line of La Solitaire du Figaro 2026