11th MidsummerSail: 65 boats set sail for Töre in the longest race on the Baltic Sea

Whilst in Kiel the world’s largest nine-day sailing week Following the official opening by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Boris Herrmann, the traditional Eel Regatta and the Olympic athletes, sailors were also out in force in Wismar Bay at the weekend. 65 boats and their crews set sail for the eleventh edition of the Agora direct MidsummerSail.

From south to north: across the whole of the Baltic Sea with MidsummerSail

The longest Baltic Sea regatta takes its competitors from Wismar to Töre, from the southernmost to the northernmost point of the Baltic Sea. They must contend with a wide variety of conditions in a diverse sailing area. There is one aspect of the MidsummerSail that the competitors particularly enjoy: whilst the tides play hardly any role in this sailing marathon, there is almost constant daylight on the course during the summer.

A glance at the map makes it clear straight away: the north-south route, covering almost 900 nautical miles, strikes a fine balance between a holiday trip and an offshore regatta. Every year, the weather conditions determine where the focus lies. This year, on 21 June, the competitors were sent out in four groups onto the XL course at Schedische Töre. As is usually the case, crews of family and friends, ambitious teams and record-chasers are all taking part.

This summer, the yachts are coming from six European countries. Their destination is the same as every year: to cross the Baltic Sea in its entirety, from south to north. The approximately 250 sailors were sent off by the Wismar shooting club Hanse e.V. 1990 in four starting groups, with a 15-minute interval between each group. The starting shots were fired by marksmen in historical uniforms using traditional muskets from the Wendorf pier.

The MidsummerSail record stands at 4 days and 19 hours

Full crews are taking part, as well as solo sailors and two-man crews. Whether the fastest sailors stand a chance, to break the course record set by Mathias Müller von Blumencron’s former Class40 ‘Red’ in 2022, as the coming days of racing will show. The record stands at 4 days, 19 hours, 7 minutes and 46 seconds.

For the majority of participants, however, it’s not about breaking records, but about the endless midsummer nights in northern Europe and the grand finale – with souvenir photos of their crew on the famous yellow buoy in the finish port of Töre. Even years later, these pictures still tell the stories of the adventures they’ve experienced in the Baltic Sea Race. This is also true of the photo taken by Mathias Müller von Blumencron’s crew four years ago after their fastest Baltic Sea crossing to date (see gallery).

Anyone who took a look at the tracker on Monday after the first night could see it clearly: the fast racers were in the lead. However, they hadn’t covered a great distance yet. In contrast to last year’s terrible weather, during which there had even been a maritime emergency, things got off to a gentle start this year. On Monday, the ‘Flaneur’ – already a familiar sight at the MidsummerSail – with solo sailor André Bätz was among the leading boats, alongside ‘Red66’ and Gorm Gondesen’s ‘Nica’, which looks set to set a new record time. If only it weren’t for the light winds…

Gourmet food for the record-hungry “Nica” crew

“We were moored for six hours on the first night. So I’m not so sure about the record. At the moment we’ve got a westerly wind of twelve knots. It’s nice sailing under the mainsail and A2,” crew member Michael Höfgen reported on Monday afternoon. Click here to go to the MidsummerSail tracker. The Baltic Sea sailors initially satisfied their ravenous appetites with the help of the on-board barbecue and the culinary skills of Knierim Yachtbau partner Steffen Müller and other sailors on board, as the pictures in the gallery show.