MidsummerSail 2020: Race to the northernmost point of the Baltic Sea begins

A small anniversary for the regatta from the southernmost to the northernmost point of the Baltic Sea: this weekend saw the fifth start of the Agora direct MidsummerSail. 24 yachts crossed the starting line between the Swedish heads in the Bay of Wismar. The finish line is at the far end of the Gulf of Bothnia: the yellow post buoy at Töre.

This year's field of participants is larger and more colourful than ever before. In addition to single-handed sailors, there are family and club crews from several countries. The spectrum of boats ranges from small cruising yachts to performance cruisers and fast multihulls.

The course record stands at 5 days, 17 hours, 38 minutes and 46 seconds, set by the "Pure" last year. The fastest crews will be rewarded with prize money: 1000 euros each, including a trophy, for the first monohull and the first multihull, as well as for the smallest crew and the smallest boat at the finish line.

The MidsummerSail 2016 was initiated by Robert Nowatzki. The race can be booked via YB-Tracker can be followed on the Internet. The fastest yachts were west of Gotland this morning, with Karlheinz Müller and Martin Lindner's Dragonfly 28p "Wilde Perle II" at the front.

Impressions from the start: