Silverrudder: Participants in the 13th edition of the one-handed classic on the road
- Stories that only the Silverrudder writes
- The most exciting participants from a German perspective
- This year's edition sold out in record time
- Disadvantages of the very limited starting places
- The Silverrudder success story
- Options for tracking the Silverrudder
- The current Silverrudder records at a glance
Mattis Franken, who competed again on his Melges 24 "Freya" after winning the "Kielboot Mini" class last year, is back in the lead late on Friday evening. He told YACHT about the challenging conditions of the race so far: "No weather forecast has really been right. We've had repeated lulls with new wind fields from the north." Nevertheless, his joy at taking part again is unbroken, he comments dryly on his boat speed of 10 to 13 knots on the 7.5 metre long and 2.49 metre wide ship: "It's just fun!"
Franken's personal forecast? "In the Little Belt we'll have a counter current until midnight, so the whole pack could come together again. After that, it will probably be a very strenuous and cold cross back to Svendborg."
As of Friday evening, ten of the 44 registered boats in Franken's "Kielboot Mini" class were no longer in the race. While nine of them had not even made it to the starting line with "DNC" (Did not come), the Dane Anders Christiansen on the Drabant 24 "LOTTO" had already had to abandon the race.
Stories that only the Silverrudder writes
The Dane Anton Hansen travelled for almost 49 hours last year before crossing the finish line in Svendborgsund in his Optima 101 on Sunday afternoon. He reached the finish line less than eight minutes before the time limit expired. He was celebrated on Facebook, with one user writing: "This is the spirit of the Silverrudder." The single-handed regatta is not just a normal regatta, the Silverrudder is about much more than just the result. Many are also driven to Svendborg harbour by the spirit of adventure.
The most exciting participants from a German perspective
There are some promising names on the Silverrudder entry list every year. One of them in this edition is Jonas Hallberg. The 2022 ORC Doublehanded World Champion is competing in the "Keelboats Medium" category on his JPK 10.30 "Hinden". Michael Höfgen finished second behind Hallberg in the 2022 World Championship. He is on the starting line at the 13th edition of the Silverrudder with "Lightworks", an Arcona 385 in the "Keelboats Large" category.
The organiser of the recently concluded Hamburg Yacht Festival, Heiko Zimmermann, also wants to sail single-handed around Funen in the Silverrudder. He will be at the start on "YELLA3", a First 36.7. It will also be exciting to see how Matthias Bröker gets on at this year's Silverrudder. He will be at the starting line on his one-off "KEENA", which he designed and Greenboats built.
Tobias Schadewaldt is also aiming to cross the start line in Svendborg tomorrow morning. He will also be taking part in this year's edition of the Silverrudder. His years of experience from the German Sailing League and his participation in the 2012 Olympics in the 49er will certainly help him. The managing partner of Jade Yachting will be competing with the First 27 "Rocksteady" in the "Keelboats Small" category. Another well-known name in the German sailing scene is that of Peter Kohlhoff. The Silverrudder repeat offender will be sailing his One Off "Gloria" cross the starting line.
This year's edition sold out in record time
It only took 35 minutes this year - then the entry list for the 13th single-handed regatta around Funen was sold out. Interested parties therefore had to be early to get a starting place for this year's edition.
Disadvantages of the very limited starting places
Not least because of the lack of starting places compared to interested sailors, there are many sailors who have registered and paid the entry fee for the Silverrudder every year but are still unable to take part. Since the registration window in March, a lot of time passes before the start. Of course, a lot can happen during this time, be it accidents involving boats or unfinished refits. In addition, the challenge can seem too great for one or two amateur sailors at the last minute.
The Silverrudder success story
The shortest distance of the island rally is 134 nautical miles. The race has very simple rules and there are no compulsory navigation marks from start to finish. The Silverrudder is organised by the dedicated team of the organising Svendborg Amatør Sejlklub in seven boat categories. There is a best time from previous years to beat in each of the categories.
Founded in 2012, the premiere took place with 15 daring starters. Just one year later, 90 participants had turned up at the starting line in 2013, including sailors from Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia and Denmark. By then, the "Silverrudder - Challenge of the Sea" was already the largest international single-handed regatta in the world. But just one year later, the field doubled with more than 200 participants.
The fascination of solo racing in Danish waters has also led to new records being set for entries. In 2019, the regatta was sold out within 40 minutes with 450 boats for an entry fee of 215 euros. The Silverrudder is considered the mother of the increasingly popular single-handed challenges and is also very popular with German soloists. The dazzling Silverrudder fleet is regularly recruited from ambitious experts, experienced regatta sailors and courageous newcomers.
Options for tracking the Silverrudder
As always, Silverrudder gives you the chance to watch the action. live on the tracker. The organisers rely on the TracTrac system. In addition, the start on the Youtube channel of the Silverrudder live streamed.
The current Silverrudder records at a glance
- Keelboat mini: Jørgen Mohr Ernst, Melges 24, "Bølge Baronesses", 19:27:38 (2021) Previous record: Morten Bogacki, Pogo2, "Mojo", 23:06:18 (2015)
- Keelboat small: Oliver Schmidt-Rybandt, Dehler 30 OD, "PowerPlay", 18:32:58 (2021) Previous record: Franz Schollmayer, Esse 850, "Firlefranz", 20:23:14 (2015)
- Keelboat medium: Jan B. Hansen, Beneteau Figaro 2, "The Beast", 18:31:47 (2021) Previous record: Wolfram Heibeck , Open 32, "Black Maggy", 19:18:03 (2015)
- Keelboat large: Wolfram Heibeck, Open 40, "Black Maggy", 17:36:50 (2021) Previous record: Andreas Rohde, JPK 38, "Ratzfatz3", 19:02:16 (2015)
- Keelboat extra large: Jan Møller, Germán Frers 49 one off, "Dream On", 16:57:10 (2021) Previous record: Pål Stiansen, Xp-44, "Born to Run", 19:09:59 (2018)
- Multihull small: Peter Lang, Diam 24 Trimaran, "Diam 24", 14:43:17 (2021) Previous record: Anders Bastiansen, Dragonfly 28, 16:04:58 (2015)
- Multihull large: Jan Andersen, Marlin 33, "Black Marlin", 14:08:53 (2021) Previous record: Jan Andersen , "Black Marlin", 15:01:05 (2019)
