Baltic Sea Race: “Tougher than four Fastnets” – “Nica” sets record in stormy conditions

Amongst the well-known international long-distance races, the RORC Baltic Sea Race is still a relatively new Nordic challenge, but a very attractive member of the “600 Club”. Like the RORC Caribbean 600, the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, the RORC Baltic Sea Race also challenges its competitors over a course of more than 600 nautical miles, starting in Helsinki, rounding Gotland and returning.

RORC Baltic Sea Race: brutal, demanding, instructive

Held every two years, the RORC Baltic Sea Race takes place in the northern waters of the Baltic Sea. This year, the organisers, in collaboration with local hosts in Helsinki’s Katajanokka harbour district, hosted the third edition of this Northern European offshore sailing challenge. Following the prize-giving ceremony on Saturday, most participants agreed: it had been a gruelling and demanding, but also a memorable race.

The first boat to cross the finish line this year was Gorm Iver Gondesen’s bright green catamaran, with co-skipper Steffen Müller. The Hill 57 HP twin-hulled speedboat, built by Knierim Yachtbau, was the only multihull in the race and made the most of the conditions to set a new record time. The crew covered a total of 779 nautical miles in 3 days, 1 hour, 28 minutes and 56 seconds – a new race record for the RORC Baltic Sea Race.

Click here for the results of the RORC Baltic Sea Race.

The Line Honours in the monohull class were claimed by the Swan 53 “Bedouin” in a sailing time of 3 days, 14 hours, 19 minutes and 48 seconds. This year, however, every boat and every crew that made it to the finish line was exceptionally remarkable. After all, in the monohull class, only five out of a total of 23 entered boats managed to do so! Among them was the RM 1380 “Schlüssel von Bremen” with skipper Stefanie Krautwald.

“Key to Bremen” skipper Krautwald: “A tough race”

Stefanie Krautwald said at the finish line that the race had, above all, tested the crew’s determination. Her conclusion: “It was a really tough race. Some crew members suffered from seasickness. But I’m very glad that we overcame the difficult conditions and made it to the finish.” The “Schlüssel von Bremen” crossed the finish line as the fifth monohull yacht, securing fourth place in the overall IRC standings and third place in IRC 1.

The racing yacht belonging to the “Das Wappen von Bremen” sailing club crossed the finish line after 4 days, 9 hours, 32 minutes and 4 seconds. For 17 monohull yachts – more than three-quarters of the fleet – the race organisers could only record that they had “withdrawn”.

The good news regarding the high dropout rate is that, according to the organisers, all sailors – both men and women – made it through the race safely, although many crews reported soaked berths and sleeping bags, seasickness and gruelling trials. At the height of the extremely challenging conditions, the fleet was once again exposed to gusts of up to 35 knots and heavy seas on the return leg into the Gulf of Finland. For the crew of the “Bedouin” and the others who crossed the finish line, that alone was a major achievement.

A new storm experience in the Baltic Sea Marathon around Gotland

​For Linda Goddard, her crew’s performance was therefore at least as important as the victory. “The conditions were tough, and I’m glad to be back on dry land,” said the owner. “It was a brilliant race, a lovely challenge, and we all had a lot of fun.” However, Goddard also explained that the conditions had really put her crew through their paces.

“The short, steep waves of the Baltic Sea really took us by surprise. They were unlike anything we’d ever experienced on rougher seas, so it was a great learning experience for the whole team.” Linda Goddard

It was also a particular source of satisfaction for Goddard to achieve this success as part of a team sailing a Swan in its home waters. “I’m really glad we had the chance to compete in a boat built in Finland. It performed brilliantly.”

The crew led by Gorm Iver Gondesen and Steffen Müller also carried out their mission superbly. As before, at the MidsummerSail, they also set a record for multihulls at the RORC Baltic Sea Race with their 57-foot performance catamaran designed by Roger Hill. Gorm Gondesen, Steffen Müller, Michael Hoefgen, Andreas Baden, Oliver Huber and Tim Kunze all played their part in this achievement.

This ‘Nica’ record could stand for a long time

“Nica” is now the fastest multihull in the still-young history of the RORC Baltic Sea Race. It achieved this with an average speed of 10.7 knots, as reported by IMOCA sailor Andreas Baden aboard the “Nica”. During his stints at the helm of “Nica”, he recorded a top speed of 26 knots. “Nica’s” performance was all the more impressive given that the difficult conditions, with strong headwinds, had forced a large part of the fleet out of the race.

This third edition will not be remembered by its competitors as the predominantly friendly challenge they often experience, but rather as an extraordinary strong-wind race. The “Bianco” can look back on a remarkable result as a two-man crew that made it onto the overall IRC podium. “Ce-Me” skipper Håkan Grönvall described this third edition of the Baltic Sea Marathon as “tougher than four Rolex Fastnet Races”.