Pantaenius Rund Skagen: "Rafale" is over - record hard to break despite lightning start

Henri de Bokay's "Rafale" (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) passed the Skagen buoy at 22:36 on 21 May. The crew on the Eliott 52 SS left the most important turning mark of the German offshore classic behind them in high spirits late on Tuesday evening. Shortly before the passage, the racer was still close to the five-metre line with many short strokes just under land in order to avoid the counter-current. This was reported by Robin Zinkmann from See.

We experienced fantastic sailing with smooth water and a very stable gradient wind" (Robin Zinkmann)

The "Rafale" navigator commented on the course of the race up to that point: "We were able to pull away right at the start when the upwind course suddenly turned into a VMG downwind shortly after Helgoland. The boats behind us all had to 'turn right' and we made it just far enough north so that we didn't have to make a big diversions. Since then, we've been enjoying fantastic sailing with smooth water and a very stable gradient wind."

Pantaenius Round Skagen: fast finale ahead

For the second half of the race through the Baltic Sea back to Kiel, the "Rafale" crew is expecting a fast passage. Robin Zinkmann said on Tuesday evening: "The routings predict an arrival between 3 and 3.30 pm on Wednesday. That would be outside the record. We have had a full cross since Hanstholm on Tuesday morning. That has cost us time with regard to the record."

The record for the 510 nautical mile long distance has stood at 43 hours and 46 minutes since 2000. The time was set by Dr Klaus Murmann's "Uca" with helmsman Walter Meier-Kothe. The fast "Rafale" could still benefit from its leading position in the field on course for Kiel. Robin Zinkmann explained: "We expect to cross the finish line shortly before the wind breaks with the new front."

A race for the small boats?

"Rafale" led the line honours classification after 290 miles sailed ahead of Gerhard Clausen's Maxi Dolphin 75 "Calypso", Daniel Baum's one-off "Elida", Johannes Wackerhagen's Knierim 49 "Desna" with skipper Bertil Balser and the J/V 52 "Haspa Hamburg". According to the calculated time, however, it was the smaller boats at the top that fought a battle for the coveted Skagen Prize: the two leading ORC B crews on the JPK 10.30 "Hinden" and Kai Greten's aged one-tonner "Oromocto" fought a long-distance duel for the top position.

The conditions are not as fluffy as they sometimes look" (Stefan Voss)

As the fourth boat in ORC B and fifth in the battle for the Skagen Prize, the Archambault 35 "Om" fought its way towards the Skagen buoy on Tuesday evening. Owner and skipper Stefan Voss from Yacht-Club Langballigau reported a great atmosphere in the Pantaenius Rund Skagen: "It's basically magic weather. We only have sun. It doesn't get dark at night. We have moonlight and great light. We're already looking forward to Skagen with this lighting."

Commenting on the course of the race in its first half and the current conditions, Stefan Voss said on the second evening at sea: "The conditions are not as fluffy as they sometimes look. It was a start with a cross. Then the whole thing turned into a broad lull because two weather systems were fighting with each other: the low over Lower Saxony and the easterly wind that was supposed to prevail over Jutland. That happened a little later. The field shifted back and forth a bit. Then it developed into a relatively long power reach, which was initially led with gennakers, later with codes or jib tops. It was sometimes very fresh at night."

Various final scenarios challenge the crews

The crews were also kept on their toes on Tuesday, as Stefan Voss reported: "Today was windy, interspersed with a full main, first reef, second reef, headsail down. There is absolutely no room for boredom here. We are now round the corner at Hanstholm and have a very straight cross to Skagen to deal with. We think we'll be there around 10 a.m. tomorrow. That's what the routing says. The Danes say that there's a really nice counter-current at Skagen and gusts of up to 30 knots in the early hours of the morning. Then we look forward to the journey home and continue to accelerate. But there will still be one or two lulls waiting for us. Before we reach our destination, we might have to reckon with a low pressure system pushing into northern Germany. The mood on board is good."

While "Rafale" and other fast boats are expected to reach the finish line on Wednesday afternoon or in the evening, the Pantaenius Round Skagen will continue until Thursday for the smaller boats. For some of the older yachts, the long-distance fun could last a little longer.

Click here for the live tracker for the Pantaenius Rund Skagen.

What the sailors had to say about Germany's most famous long-distance race before the start of Pantaenius Rund Skagen: