Race to the Arctic: Halfway point on course for the Arctic Circle – “Momo” and “Gaia” in the lead

Stage two in the new Iceland Offshore Race to the Arctic It was a pure downwind run. It took the boats in the three groups around a day – and in some cases a little longer – to sail from Fedje to Kristiansund. In the end, the results looked as follows: the first stage from Mandal to Fedje very similar. In Group A (“Wergeland”), Christoph and Benjamin Morgen once again fought their way to a well-deserved victory, finishing fourth in their JPK 10.50 “Momo” (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein).

Stage two of the Race to the Arctic: wet, wild and challenging

In Group C (“Partner Class”), Lina Rixgens (Seglerhaus am Wannsee sailing club) and Sverre Reinke (TSV Schilksee von 1947) crossed the finish line off Kristiansund in their Sun Fast 30OD “Gaia”, just one minute ahead of the Norwegian Elan 37 “Levens”, which consequently dropped back to fifth place on a calculated basis. The “Gaia” crew, meanwhile, clinched their second stage victory in a row and, like “Momo”, head into the halfway break as leaders in their group at the new race to the Arctic Circle.

Click here for the interim results of the Race to the Arctic on Manage2Sail.

On Monday evening, in the harbour at Kristiansund, Lina Rixgens reported on leg two and a thrilling head-to-head battle to the finish: “The leg was pretty tough! And we only just managed to win! We sailed a completely straight VMG downwind course for over 185 nautical miles. It’s not that easy against the spinnaker boats. Whilst we’re slogging away and making a thousand gybes, they just sail straight down.”

Looking back, Lina Rixgens said after two of the four stages: “Overall, there was slightly less wind than forecast. But it was pretty wet, wild and challenging. We’re glad we managed to secure first place. Now we’ve got a bit more time to recover. The last stop was very short, after all.” After the first leg, there was only one night and half a day before the fleet of 58 boats set off again.

Towards the Arctic Circle and the midnight sun

Jochen Denkena and Mini-Transat sailor Hendrik Lenz, sailing the Sun Fast 3200 “Arrabiata”, finished fifth once again in the “Gaia” Group C. “There was quite a lot of downwind sailing. We didn’t sail upwind even once,” Hendrik Lenz also reported on the second leg of the Race to the Arctic. At the start, winds of 15 to 20 knots were driving the boats along. Then there was a prolonged period of light winds, before 20 to 25 knots picked up again in the final sprint to provide a boost.

Whilst looking for ways to improve, Hendrik Lenz said: “We weren’t quite spot on with our sail changes – either too early or too late. Perhaps we didn’t quite fine-tune things to the exact reading either. Others may be better at optimising and also work more seamlessly as a team.” Hendrik Lenz from Düsseldorf (Düsseldorfer Yachtclub), 14th-placed German competitor in the 2025 Mini-Transat, is competing in his first regatta with skipper Jochen Denkena from the Sail-Lollipop Regatta Club. At the halfway stage, they were in seventh place.

The inaugural race will see the remaining two stages take place in the early morning of 1 July, from Kristiansund to Sandnessjøen, and from there, from 4 July, to the finish port of Svolvær. The fourth stage will begin in the afternoon and offers the chance to cross the Arctic Circle at night and experience the midnight sun, which never sets.

Click here on Wednesday to access the Race Tracker for Stage 3 of the Race to the Arctic.