MidsummerSail: ‘Nica’ sets a new course record in the Baltic Sea Marathon

The yellow buoy at Töre is legendary. And it is the destination of every MidsummerSail. Anyone who reaches the northernmost buoy in the Baltic Sea has completed the longest Baltic Sea marathon – over 900 nautical miles from Wismar to Töre. Gorm Gondesen and his five-man crew arrived there in the very early hours of 26 June during the eleventh edition of the sailing marathon. With their 57-foot carbon catamaran, they not only claimed Line Honours but also set a new course record.

MidsummerSail: ‘Nica’ is the fastest twin-hulled boat

Designed by New Zealand-based designer Robert Hill and built by Knierim, the striking green catamaran “Nica” serves as both a cruiser and a racer. The crew completed their race at MidsummerSail in 4 days, 14 hours, 25 minutes and 39 seconds. The team shaved just under five hours off the previous course record set in 2022 by the Class40 “Red” – which is 17 feet shorter – (4 days, 19 hours, 7 minutes, 46 seconds).

“Nica” now holds the course record across all classes and the multihull record, whilst Mathias Müller von Blumencron and his “Red” crew remain the record holders in the monohull category at the Agora direct MidsummerSail. Sailing on “Nica” alongside skipper Gorm Gondesen and navigator Michael Höfgen were Knierim partner Steffen Müller, Tim Kunze, Till Eggert and Sven Jacobsen.

For the new fastest sailors at MidsummerSail, the hunt for records was a nail-biting wait right up until the day before in winds that were at times very light. In the Gulf of Bothnia, for example, the crew had come to a standstill on glassy water in calm conditions and had issued themselves a light-hearted fine as a result (see photo gallery). Gorm Gondesen said it had been a challenge to navigate through the light-wind areas.

A tribute to “Flaneur” soloist André Bätz

The “Nica” crew also paid tribute to solo sailor André Bätz on his “Flaneur”, saying they’d had great fun competing against him. The “Flaneur” led the field of the remaining 60 boats on Friday morning. This 27-foot speedster is a small and fast, A production trike converted for regatta and racing fun.

The organisers of the Agora direct MidsummerSail are expecting him to arrive at the yellow buoy at Töre later this afternoon. He was followed by the crews of the BM53DS “Sunbird” and the Dragonfly 920 extreme “Trinity”. Click here for the tracking page for the Agora direct MidsummerSail.