It had already been the talk of the town when it was launched, thanks to its unique, eye-catching design. The JPK 1050 “Momo,” skippered by brothers Christoph and Benjamin Morgen, has just made a huge splash by winning the first edition of the Race to the Arctic in ORC Class A!
This 750-nm race pits some sixty double-handed crews against each other over four legs, starting from Mandal, Norway, and heading to the Lofoten Islands at 68° north… Here’s the story of a truly one-of-a-kind race, complete with photos: it’s not every day you see a JPK 1050 speeding past snow-capped mountains…
Leg 1: from Mandal to Fedje
Momo had been launched very recently and had barely had time to be transported from Lorient to Mandal for the race start… The Morgen brothers even unfurled their Code 0 for the first time ten minutes before the start, “just to see what it looks like,” at least!
The starting line was crossed in light winds, and the race was sailed largely under that Code 0. Toward the end, the wind picked up and shifted until it reached 20–25 knots. Under mainsail, J2, and A2, Momo flew across the water and won the leg hands down, finishing first out of the 19 boats in its group.
Leg 2: From Fedje to Kristiansund
The second leg is a daunting one: 220 nautical miles to cover downwind. In gusts of up to 28 knots, Momo has to take wide jibes while her competitors—larger, displacement-type sailboats—sail at 170°–180° and head straight for the finish.
But it didn’t matter: the JPK 1050’s speed was such that it more than made up for its wide angles and once again took first place in its group—as well as first place overall in the entire fleet, consisting of more than 60 boats! It also clinched the special prize for the highest speed over 15 seconds, with a speed of 20.4 knots (the nearest competitor reached only 17.2 knots)…
Leg 3: From Kristiansund to Sandnessjøen
Just before the start, a problem with the rudder lifting system gave Christoph and Benjamin a few headaches. They resolved it just in time to get a clean start to the leg, in very light winds. Heading north, as always, sailing close-hauled, Momo once again took the lead in the fleet on corrected time over the first 200 nautical miles.
Sailing a race alongside snow-capped mountains is no ordinary experience… And above all, it’s a magnificent sight! The race organization’s drone captured an absolutely mind-blowing moment at twilight, in which the JPK 1050 glides across perfectly flat water between pink mountains and a sky ablaze… A must-see (below)!
After these moments of pure magic, with just 30 nm left to complete the leg, Momo got stuck in a fjord (and against the current, no less), and his crew could only watch helplessly as the rest of the fleet—driven by a much more favorable wind—sailed past, along with the few boats that had been ahead of him in real time. Finally, the wind set them free just in time to secure third place on corrected time for this penultimate leg.
Leg 4: From Sandnessjøen to Svolvaer
This is the northernmost and final leg of the Race to the Arctic: Leg 4, from Sandnessjøen to the Lofoten Islands, promises a technical start navigating the skerries and numerous rocks just below the surface. Another challenge: choosing the right weather route. Up to this point, Christoph and Benjamin had followed their racing strategy of “marking” their main competitors by staying in close contact with them; but this time, shortly after the start, the competitors split between a route to the west, offshore, and another route to the east, along the coast. Momo therefore followed its own course and managed to position itself skillfully to take advantage of a shift in the wind toward the north.
Over the final miles of the race, an Arctic low-pressure system struck the fleet, and the winds shifted from 5 to 40 knots in a matter of seconds…
Momo finally crosses the finish line at the exact same second as a Swan 45, but with a one-meter lead: what a finish after so many miles sailed, earning her second place in real time and victory on corrected time!
Controversy over the overall ORC winner
After four races, the JPK 1050 is the winner in Class A with 6 points (the second-place boat has 16): 1 – 1 – 3 – 1. In another class, the famous SunFast 3300 Red Ruby also claimed victory with the same number of points, but with a different race result breakdown: 1 – 1 – 1 – 3.
On the podium during the awards ceremony, Momo was initially awarded the overall victory prize across all classes, out of the 62 competing boats, with the final race breaking the tie between the two boats that were tied on points. However, after the race committee reviewed the race instructions, it was ultimately decided to change the method for determining the overall winner. Momo will still remain on the podium… and is the winner in his class!
Conclusion
Christoph Morgen has the final word: “One of the best-organized races I’ve ever participated in: very charming hosts and a great atmosphere in the ports; a highly competitive race with very close results, often with only a few minutes separating the finish times on corrected time; and magnificent landscapes. It’s definitely worth going back if the race is held again! The organizers told us they would hold it again, but haven’t yet decided whether it will be every two or every three years. ”
Tout le chantier félicite Christoph et Morgen pour cette belle victoire qui rallonge encore un peu plus le palmarès déjà tant fourni du JPK 1050, un an et demi à peine après son lancement… et en ORC à nouveau, après le premier coup d’éclat dans cette jauge réalisé par Hinden.
Fair winds, Momo!
