Pantaenius Rund Skagen: "Elan" wins for the third time - the Rund Skagen winner: almost 50 years old and timelessly good

Skipper Daniel Baum and his seven crew members won the Pantaenius Rund Skagen with their almost half-century-old Swan 48 "Elan" after a calculated time. The yacht built by the Pantaenius Baum family in 1973 thus remains an evergreen in regatta sport. The team completed the 500 nautical mile classic in 3 days, 3 hours, 30 minutes and 43 seconds. The time sailed resulted in the calculated best time of 3 days, 5 hours, 10 minutes and 24 seconds. Jonas Hallberg's JPK 10.30 "Hinden" took second place in the overall ORC Club classification ahead of Michael Berghorn's Mills 45 single "Halbtrocken 4.5". The "flying Dutchmen" on the Volvo Open 70 "L4/Trifork", who started the race as top favourites and declared record hunters, were the first boat to take the line honours at the finish off Kiel. In the calculated comparison with the competition, however, this was only enough for eighth place in the overall standings and second place behind "Halbtrocken 4.5" in the largest division ORCi 1 and Club 1. While the "Elan" won in its group ORCi 2 and Club 2, "Hinden" won in ORCi 3 and Club 3 - so the top three in the overall standings each also had a class win for themselves. Rasmus Töpsch's JPK 10.10 "Sharifa" won the double-handed classification for the long distance from Helgoland around Skagen to Kiel. Click here for all results of the Pantaenius-Rund-Skagen-Rennen (please click!).

The "Elan" crew celebrated their victory in high spirits shortly after their arrival. Daniel Baum said in Kiel: "Everything had already gone well for us in the Helgoland round. We went into the Skagen race in the same mood and were able to win the start straight away. We had the spinnaker up the longest on the first night and hit the gybes correctly," reports Daniel Baum on the promising start. And so the crew, with the experienced Jörgen Heinritz and other regular crew members, continued the marathon in which the 50-year-old skipper Daniel Baum had first taken part as a 14-year-old teenager. He knows the offshore course like an Alster sailor knows every window that opens in one of the neighbouring houses and sends a squall across the area.

The Pantaenius insurance group has sponsored the Pantaenius Round Skagen Race since 1994 and is the title sponsor of the popular long-distance race through three very different areas. Today, the company is run by siblings Daniel, Anna and Martin Baum in the rear of father Harald Baum. The family and employees were therefore delighted this weekend that the "Elan", which last won in 2008, once again won the race. The fact that the success was achieved on a double anniversary - the North Sea Week celebrated 100 years of eventful regatta history and the long-distance race around Skagen was 90 years old - made the victory even sweeter.

Above all, it was the team's wealth of experience and the aged but well-maintained regatta yacht that allowed her crew to perform at their best. "I'm really proud of the entire crew, of each individual. Everything was just right. When the crew work so well in any weather, you simply never have a problem," said Daniel Baum, who took turns at the helm with Jörgen Heinritz and Stefan Semmerling. In addition to the good mood among the crews who had already arrived and their own supply of Skagen rum, active drinks support from the crew of the "Aqua Granus IV" also contributed to the happy ending in the finishing harbour. "They were really nice! It was a great end to a great regatta overall," enthused Baum.