Interview: Fabian Boerger and Ole Puls on their bitter exit from the Vegvisir Race
Antonia von Lamezan
· 27.09.2026
Timm Kruse: First of all, my heartfelt condolences, lads. You’ve been working towards this race for months, and then this happens.
Ole Puls: Yes, we’d imagined it would be different. In the end, it was the log. The tricky thing was that it only leaked when we were moving through the water. We checked everything – seacocks, through-hull fittings, anything that might be leaking. The shaft seal was letting in a bit of water, but that wouldn’t have accounted for the amount. As we couldn’t find the leak, we decided to call it a day. Carrying on would have been unwise.
Fabian, what was that moment like for you?
Fabian Boerger: That came as a shock. Ole went below to get a Coke and didn’t come back. When I went to check, he lifted the bilge hatches – everything was full of water. At the time, we didn’t know what was causing it. It only became clear once the bilge was empty and no more water was coming in.
What was the first thing you did?
Fabian Boerger: We sailed to the nearest mooring, near the Henningsen & Steckmest shipyard in Kappeln, close to the crane. Ole bailed out the water below deck with buckets, whilst I tipped them over the side; the bilge pump was running at the same time. That went on for about 20 minutes before we could carry on. The strange thing was: once the bilge was empty, no more water came in.
Ole Puls: We bailed the boat completely dry, and it was simply watertight. Normally you’d say that, with that much water, there must be a leak somewhere. We checked every seacock, inspected the engine intake and the manifold – all without finding anything. That’s how you quickly lose two or three hours. Even on a 25-foot boat, there are plenty of places where water can get in. As a boatbuilder, that’s when you really start to doubt yourself. I’ve searched so many boats before. Why can’t I find it on my own?
Haven’t you ever checked the log before?
Ole Puls: I last had it out in the spring whilst applying anti-fouling paint. I had a look at it, but not in detail. Everything looked fine. Looking back, when I spoke to my grandad, who used to own the boat, he said: ‘The log has probably been in there for 30 years.’ I’d almost bet that those are still the original O-rings. Nobody simply thought about it. The boat’s been out of the water for 50 years. Why on earth would water start getting in now of all times?
Did you still drive to Nyborg after the cancellation?
Fabian Boerger: No. We’d travelled by boat as far as the mouth of the Schlei. There we were faced with a dilemma: should we carry on sailing? Or should we try to sort out the problem on the spot? The problem was that we still didn’t know what the issue actually was. Our chances of sorting it out at our home port in Schleswig were far better. We were lucky enough to know some of the participants, and we got in closer contact with them. That meant we were at least able to follow the race from afar.
How did the break-up affect you? Did it bring you closer together, or did it cause a rift?
Fabian Boerger: We’ve actually grown closer. We’ve already spent a lot of time together during the preparations. We haven’t quite ticked off the Vegvisir yet. We’ll give it another go next year. You can’t predict things like that. But we’ve learnt so much along the way, and that’s what keeps us going.
Ole Puls: Definitely. The Vegvisir is on both our sailing bucket lists. The boat’s ready; we’ve converted to lithium batteries so we can get through the night comfortably. We could actually set off straight away. We’ll be adding one or two things over the winter, such as a better block for the spinnaker’s Barber-Hole lines, so that hoisting it goes faster. But the boat is ready to race.
Let’s talk about this year’s Vegvisir. In the end, was it perhaps even a good thing that you weren’t there?
Fabian Boerger: The decisive factor was the night from Friday to Saturday. The shorter race, for which we were entered, started on Friday. That night, gusts of 30 to 35 knots swept through an area with strong currents and shallow patches. This was reflected in the figures: out of 115 registered boats, 40 crossed the finish line. In the final race alone, 32 gave up during the race. I think that would have been a race that would have really tested us.
How do you actually give up in a race like that?
Fabian Boerger: You sail to the nearest harbour. That’s the big advantage of this format, because there are so many harbours in the area. Then you inform the race organisers so that everyone knows there’s no emergency at sea. You can see from the tracker anyway if anyone strays from the course. It’s important to let them know.
Have you spoken to anyone who gave up during the race?
Ole Puls: I’ve seen this in other regattas: at some point you have to weigh up whether it’s still worth it, in terms of equipment and safety. We’ve got an old boat. Sitting round in the evening with a beer and saying, ‘That was absolutely brilliant – 35 knots, two spinnakers torn, the jib wrecked too’ – that doesn’t help us. Especially not with an unexplained leak.
Fabian Boerger: Everyone we spoke to was understanding. Nobody said, ‘You should have carried on.’ On the contrary: everyone said it was the right decision, from a nautical point of view too. Looking back, I feel reassured by that, however difficult the moment was.
Jochen Rieker, the editor of *Yacht* magazine, sailed the race to the finish. Have you spoken to him?
Fabian Boerger: We spoke to him on the phone. He talked about how gruelling it was: strong winds at night, plus rain. The tacking manoeuvres were particularly demanding. The waters are shallow, with short, steep waves. When you have to tack into a westerly wind, it’s very unpleasant. The organisers also shortened the course. Originally, it was supposed to go round Langeland and into the Flensburg Fjord – a very long upwind leg. They scrapped that, and everyone was pleased about it.
From 200 to 180 nautical miles – twenty miles cut. That doesn’t happen every day. Ole, what else have you heard from the participants?
Ole Puls: Jochen Rieker kept us in touch; conditions ranged from a beautiful sunset to weather in which hardly anyone dared to hoist the gennaker. Even those with pure racing yachts hesitated. The short leg was also shortened once again to just under 60 miles, and the course was completely changed – not towards Guldborgsund, but slightly further north, to provide some protection from the waves. Everyone who took part says: it wasn’t a race that was much fun. Everyone was just glad to have made it through and that nothing had broken.
And that absolutely nothing happened.
Ole Puls: Of course, especially as this is a race in which many of the participants are just starting out, just like us, in fact. It’s not easy for the organisers either. But it’s definitely the right decision.
Fabian Boerger: The weather briefing before the start was important. Everyone knew what to expect. The single-handed sailors taking part in the long-distance race unanimously decided not to set sail. This shows just how seriously the situation was assessed and how well everyone communicated with one another.
I’d say a lot of seafarers are superstitious. Did it ever cross your mind that perhaps it was actually for the best that the logbook broke?
Ole Puls: Normally, I’m not one for superstition at all. If a black cat walks past, it’s just a black cat. But then, when you’re sitting at home, you start to wonder. Perhaps the universe was saying: ‘This far is fine, but no further.’ Whether that’s superstition or simply making sense of a situation in hindsight is open to question. Still, the thought lingers somewhere in the back of my mind: ‘What if I’d found the leak and turned up five minutes late for the start?’
Fabian Boerger: I must admit, I’m a bit superstitious. The thought did cross my mind. But in the end, you can only speculate about ‘what ifs’. I’ve come to terms with the fact that we made the right decision. That’s gone some way towards appeasing my superstitious conscience.
What was it like when you were at home? Did you ever find yourself in tears out of disappointment?
Fabian Boerger: No, not at all. It was a joint decision, and it was the right one. It’s still ‘just’ a regatta, and the disappointment isn’t so great that I can’t get over it.
Ole Puls: We washed away our tears with two beers. But the good thing about us is that we’re not only good at sailing together, but also at talking things through. We’ve been discussing it at length, and at some point a decision has to be made. Of course, there are also people who say: ‘It wouldn’t have been that bad after all; the boat can handle it, and it only really gets fun at 30 knots.’ I’ve heard that myself at other regattas. But when you’re responsible for everything yourself, you quickly come to the conclusion: we did the right thing. Next time, we’ll see how it goes and give it another go.
The interview was conducted by Timm Kruse.
You can listen to the YACHT sailing podcast with Fabian Boerger and Ole Puls here
At this point, you will find external content that complements the article. You can display and hide it with a click.
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Amazon Music
Deezer
Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us some feedback.
If you have any questions, suggestions or requests for topics, please write to us at podcast@yacht.de!
Read more on this topic:
Antonia von Lamezan
Volontärin