In just two weeks, the narrow waters off Svendborg will once again be crowded: on Friday 19 September, the Silverrudder race will start there for the 19th time. The participants will sail non-stop around Funen, Denmark's third largest island, for around 134 nautical miles. This unorthodox race has long since achieved cult status and is undoubtedly one of the most important single-handed sailing events in Europe.
The Silverrudder: an event for the bucket list
The combination of a sporting challenge, the special format as a non-stop race and the family atmosphere makes the event an annual highlight for many sailors. This event is now on many people's bucket list. So it's no wonder that the coveted starting places have been taken shortly after the start of registration for years. This year, all places were sold out after just 62 minutes, according to the organisers.
All participants of this year's Silverrudder-Challenge you will find here.
The race not only challenges the sailing skills of the participants from 15 nations, but also impresses with the variety of boats taking part. This year, around 450 boats are registered in seven groups, from small multihulls to extra-large keel yachts. The field of participants ranges from classic yachts to ultra-modern racing machines. There are also some unusual boats among them:
"Ilvy": junk rig meets GfK classic
Paul Schnabel's "Ilvy" is certainly a particularly unusual boat. The striking yellow junk rig will attract attention not only on the Kiel Fjord, but soon also in Svendborgsund. The sail of the old Maxi 77 is stiffened by robust aluminium tube battens. You won't find a boom or foresail on this boat. According to the organisers, the "Ilvy" is the first boat with a junk rig to take part in the history of the race.
For Paul Schnabel, the focus is on the challenge, not the ranking. "In this single-handed regatta, I'm particularly looking forward to the easy handling and relaxed sailing that the modern junk rig offers," he explains in an interview with YACHT. Schnabel plans to circumnavigate the island in around 30 to 40 hours - without a break and without sleeping. "I think it will be pretty exhausting, but also awesome," he says in a post on the Instagram platform.
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Technical data of the "Ilvy":
- Length: 7,70 m
- Width: 2,64 m
- Weight: approx. 2.0 tonnes
- Depth: 1,45 m
- Mast length: 10,70 m
- Width of the panels: Bottom 1 x 4.9 m; top 1.9 x 4.9 m (triangular)
- Lugger sails: 35,0 m²
Read more: "Ilvy": converted Maxi 77 with junk rig
"Black Maggy": "Old hand" and annual eye-catcher
In order to win the Silverrudder in the large class, Wolfram Heibeck gave his "Black Maggy" a radical makeover in 2018: he sawed the boat in half and gave it a new foreship. The original version had already impressively won the medium class of the famous single-handed regatta in Denmark, but lacked the length to triumph in the large class. The master boat builder from Hooksiel therefore took to the saw and cut his boat in half. The conversion ultimately led to the first class victory in 2021. Heibeck has also been on the starting line several times in recent years.
Technical data of the "Black Maggy:
- Torso length: 12,14 m
- Waterline length: 11,80 m
- Width: 3,93 m
- Weight: 3,2 t
- Ballast/proportion: 0,7 t/22 %
- Sail area on the wind: 72,5 m2
- Sail carrying capacity: 5,8
- Gennaker/Code Zero (max. each): 158/84 m2
"Gloria": between modern and classic
This is also not the first time that skipper Peter Kohlhoff has raced his twelve-metre-long "Gloria" in Svendborg. This retro one-off design was already part of the race in 2024. The yacht, designed by Horst Stichnoth and built by the Wegmann shipyard, impresses with its classic lines and sporty, modern sailing characteristics. The boat, which is mainly used for cruising, shows its strengths particularly on rough courses, supported by the large gennaker.
Technical data:
- Design: Horst Stichnoth
- Shipyard: L. Wegmann
- Lüa: 11,99 m
- Width: 3,85 m
- Depth: 2,45 m
- Displacement: 6,7 t
- Ballast (water): 2,0 t
- Large: 60 m²
- Fock: 31 m²
- Gennaker: 185 m²
The whole boat portrait of the "Gloria": Retro-One-Off mixes classic timber construction with high-tech
More information about the Silverrudder Challenge:
- Wednesday and Thursday, 17 and 18 September, the Security checks instead.
- Thursday is the Skippers meeting followed by a dinner together.
- Start is on Friday, 19 September. From 10 a.m., one of the seven groups will start every half hour. The small keelboats start. The last group of large multihulls will follow at around 1 pm.
- Saturday morning the first boat back in the harbour expected.
- Sunday, 12 noon, is the Deadline for participants.
Further information you will find here on the organiser's website.
