Larger and larger yachts are registering for Gotland Runt. Last year, even the 175-foot-long Baltic "Ravenger" (ex-"Pink Gin VI"), but had to pull out due to technical problems. This year, "Black Jack", a 100-foot racing machine from the Mediterranean, came to Sandholmn to take part in the offshore race with start and finish in the eastern Stockholm archipelago. And the Monegasque supermaxi actually raced around the Baltic Sea island. Paul Meilhat also took part with a French-Swedish crew on his Imoca "Biotherm" The first of the two lines, however, appeared in the lists under the name "Havsörnen III" (Sea Eagle).
Among the almost 200 yachts were mainly ten-metre cruiser-racers, but the offshore spectacle also attracted cruising formats and classics to the north. Among those travelling from Germany were Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 "Varuna 6" and the 12mR yacht "Anita" from SV Rheingau, which was ranked in the classics classification. In addition, eleven teams took part in the Swedish Offshore Doublehanded Championship as part of Gotland Runt.
Spectacular start to Gotland Runt
This year, the largest offshore race on the Baltic Sea began with an unusual delay. Weather conditions with strong gusts, rain and hail forced the organising Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS) to postpone the start by 16 hours. The race organisers did not allow themselves to be tempted into foolishness; for them, safety outweighed adherence to the schedule.
After careful consideration of the weather forecasts, a new start time was set and the route adjusted, meaning that 314 nautical miles had to be mastered. The field shot through the archipelago on a space sheet course and had to round Gotland in a clockwise direction after passing the Almagrundet lighthouse. Last in the starting sequence were "Black Jack" and "Havsörnen III", which quickly rolled up the field with speeds of up to 25 knots.
The record-breaking race of "Black Jack"
Weak winds awaited the fastest sailors at the finish. Race director Håkan Andersson explained: "The conditions were quite tricky, which we are perhaps more familiar with here in the north." "Black Jack" crossed the line first with Code Zero after a sailed time of 22 hours and 4 minutes. This meant that "Black Jack" beat the record set last year by the Austrian VO70 "Tschüss II" by 23 minutes. The average speed of 14.24 knots beat the previous record of 14.12 knots. Skipper Tristan Le Brun was delighted: "We knew the potential was there, but to sail in record time exceeded all our expectations." Le Brun also emphasised the promotion of young people: "We are proud of our young crew and are actively working on staffing the boat with offshore sailors of the future."
The strongest competition was in the ORCi Full Crew ranking, which was led by the Swedish First 36.7 "Garmin Team Pro4u" based on calculated time. The Aspect 45 "Black Lily" from Sweden finished the Gotland round in second place ahead of Lorenz Jensen's JPK 10.30 "Rentnerbank". Behind the German JPK 10.80 "Frida", Jens Kellinghusen's Knierim-Bau "Varuna 6" finished in 7th place. Max Kohlhoff, tactician/strategist on "Varuna 6", said of the race: "For the first time in the history of Gotland Runt, the start had to be postponed. That was completely incomprehensible to us at first. But it turned out that the Race Committee had made a really good decision. This cell was worth being weathered ashore."
Rich history and steady growth
With almost 200 boats from ten nations taking part, the Gotland Runt 2025 emphasised its position as one of the most prestigious offshore races in the world. The event has a long history dating back to 1937. Back then, 42 boats of different sizes took part in a 250 nautical mile course starting and finishing in Visby. The race developed steadily over the decades. In the 1950s, the course was adapted and the number of participants grew steadily. In 1957, the direction around Gotland was changed for the first time in order to take advantage of better wind conditions.
As the number of participating yachts grows, so does the Gotland Runt event. Over 40 international crews from nine nations came to Stockholm in 2025, totalling over 600 sailors. The effort put in by the KSSS is correspondingly high. This year, the Royal Swedish team mobilised 72 volunteers, and 21 people in the media team alone took care of live reporting with photos and videos. There is also a prize for the best media work on board, this year awarded to Christine Persson on "Warpath".
"Varuna 6" in the Baltic Sea Surf:
Gotland Runt 2025 results
Overall winner (SRS/GR classification)
- Black Jack 100, Tristan Le Brun, YC de Monaco
- Trinity, Joakim Sundberg, KSSS
- Havsörnen III (Biotherm), Paul Meilhat, KSSS
Class ORCi
- Garmin Team Pro4u, Emil Forsgren, KSSS
- Black Lily, Håkan Karlsson, KSSS
- Pensioners' bench, Lorentz Jensen, Muhlenberger SC
Swedish Offshore Doublehanded Championship 2025 - (ORCi)
- Amazigh, Andreas Hamrin/Karl Jungstedt, SS Vega
- Jolene, Fredrik Rydin/Johan Tuvsted, KSSS
- Nike, Martin Angsell/Anna Drougge, KSSS
Fastest ORCi boat by time sailed:
Varuna 6, Jens Kellinghusen, NRV
