The organisers from Bogense Sejlklub recorded a total of 235 entries for this year's edition of the Fyn Cup. The stable weather window made for a tight field on the 138 nautical mile route around Funen and Brandsø. Even at night, the mild westerly wind persisted, allowing the crews to make good time without any major breaks.
From "Dragonfire" to "Al-Capone"
The first boat on the long course reached the finish line at around 4 o'clock on Saturday. The multihull "Dragonfire" with skipper and Dragonfly boss Jens Quorning from Skærbæk was traditionally welcomed with champagne on the quay and finished the round after a sailing time of just 14 hours and 20 minutes. At this point, the main field had just passed the Storebælt Bridge, led by the multihull "Jane Doe". The crew of the "Al-Capone" took first place in the keelboat category. Skipper Tue Andersen from Snaptun Sejlklub crossed the finish line at 6.25 am on Saturday morning after 17 hours and ten minutes on the water.
German sailors were also able to celebrate success in Denmark. Torsten Bastiansen, Head of Sales at X-Yachts and member of the Flensborg Yacht Club (FYC), steered the second-placed XR 41 "Formula X". On board the fast performance cruiser was a prominent crew from the Danish shipyard, including owner Ib Kunøe and managing director Kræn Nielsen. Jan Böhm's First 36.7 "Mathilde" and the J 109 "Jubel" also did well under the German flag. The best German yacht ultimately finished 16th overall, while the highly favoured 75-foot regatta yacht "Calypso" from Kiel had less luck. It had to abandon the regatta prematurely at Assens due to a hydraulic defect.
Demanding westerly winds
As Saturday progressed, the westerly wind over Funen picked up to eight metres per second, which meant that the teams had to cross a lot, especially in the last passage of the Fyn Cup. By 14:30, there were only 17 yachts left on the regatta course. The last remaining boat rounded the Fyns Hoved landmark at this time, while the back of the field was still north of Romsø at midday.
Only eight tasks at the Fyn Cup
Late Saturday afternoon at 5pm, the last ten boats were finally on the section between Tørresø and the finish. The last yacht crossed the finish line in Bogense at around 9 pm. This means that 212 of the 220 boats that started successfully completed the Fyn Cup 2026, with many of them also setting personal records for the circumnavigation of the island. Only eight crews had to abandon the race prematurely. The next edition of the regatta will take place from 28 to 30 May 2027.
Scoring based on the Silverrudder model
Danish boats traditionally use the national DH handicap system to score the Fyn Cup, while multihulls are scored according to the Texel formula. Regardless of whether the crews choose the long course of 138 nautical miles or the short course of around 65 nautical miles, the organisers are lowering the hurdles for international starters from this year onwards.
Foreign yachts can compete without a Danish DH measurement certificate in three pure length groups of less than 10 metres, 10 to 12.49 metres and 12.50 metres and over. In these LOA classes, similar to the Silverrudder, only the time sailed decides the winner. While Danish DH yachts are automatically classified in both categories, the classic "Tursejler" classification is still open to pure cruising sailors without a measurement certificate.
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David Ingelfinger
Volontär
