Silverruder 2026: A perfect start with a rough night ahead

The Silverruder – the ‘Challenge of the Sea’ around Funen, also known by some as the ‘Ironman of the Sea’ – has long been more than just a regatta. It is a top-class amateur competition that attracts the same faces year after year: repeat participants who simply cannot resist the challenge. They compete in genuine racing boats or modern classics, in keelboats or on open trimarans. The “Silverrudder family”. Today marked the 15th edition of the race. The start took place in ideal conditions: a moderate breeze, clear visibility, and a harbour buzzing with anticipation. The Silverruder 2026 has begun.

Of the 443 boats registered, 332 actually set sail. It’s easy to say what kept the others from setting sail: the weather. And it’s a real challenge.

If you missed the start, you can watch it here: ➡ Intro video on YouTube

What lies in store for the sailors

During the briefing, meteorologist and Seascape sailor Jure Jehrmann predicted gusts of up to 30 knots – the Danish weather model went one better, forecasting up to 35 knots from a west-south-westerly direction. This is likely to prove a particular challenge at the northern tip of Funen, which the anti-clockwise course identifies as the toughest stretch.

Presenter Jan Hansen – a long-standing expert on these 134 nautical miles and himself a frequent participant in the Silver Ruder – expects the crosswind to last up to four hours there. His advice to anyone who makes it that far: stay closer to the shore. Inland, the wind might be 20 knots instead of 25, but the short, steep waves – which form where deep water meets shallow – stay out at sea.

The good news is that, as things stand, a lull beneath the bridges – which at Silverruder occasionally leads to hours of patience-testing or even sailing backwards against the current – is unlikely. Whether the wind will ultimately be strong enough to set new records remains to be seen over the next few hours.

The field: Fifteen nations, one goal

At the start in Svendborg, organiser Philip Cossen said what many of his participants already know: anyone capable of covering long distances and sailing at night on their own can sail the 134 miles of the Silverruder and finish the race. Jan Hansen also emphasises the race’s unique character: “This is not a race to win – this is a race to become a finisher.”

And these potential finishers come from all over the world. With 252 boats entered, the Germans make up by far the largest contingent – a remarkable feat for a Danish home regatta in which 123 Danish boats are taking part. They are followed by Sweden (34), Poland (7), Norway (6) and the Netherlands (5). Two to five boats have come from Switzerland, Finland, the United Kingdom and Slovenia respectively, and two from France – including one with a particularly notable name. Italy and Hungary are also represented by one boat each. In total, sailors from 15 nations are competing against one another today, including five women.

Special boats, special people

The DIY Project: Kimoca Khaos

If there’s one boat that’s been the talk of the Danish sailing scene this season even before the start of the season, it’s the Kimoca Khaos by Kim Haugaard From Nyborg. 3.5 years in the making, all built by hand: hull, deck, carbon-fibre mast, carbon-fibre boom. The result is not a cosy single-handed cruiser, but a machine: in the harbour it lies quietly and compactly, but out on the water Kim folds out the outriggers – and 3.5 metres becomes seven. The mast soars 20 metres into the sky, the bowsprit extends 2.5 metres forward, and the sail area for the Code Zero alone is 75 square metres. Underneath: a swivel keel that can be pivoted sideways to keep the hull upright even in strong winds. Plus centreboards, two retractable rudders, two backstays and water ballast. Built for a crew of two – Haugaard will have his hands full sailing it alone.

Currently, the “Khaos” leads the Keelboats Medium class – and is thus in contention for a course record that has stood since 2021: Jan Hansen himself holds the record in this category with a time of 18 hours, 31 minutes and 47 seconds. The fact that Hansen is hosting the start today rather than sailing himself adds a touch of irony to the situation. Whether Kim Haugaard’s “Khaos” will take his record from him could be decided on the upwind leg, with the wide and complex boat at the northern tip of Funen.

The veteran: Franz Schollmayer on the Corsa 30

Aged 75, with a highly sporty open boat, and a story that’s still being told at sailing gatherings years later: Franz Schollmayer from the Rheingau Sailing Club is one of those sailors who has remained loyal to the Silverruder for years. With his Corsa 30 ‘Firlefranz’, he’s a fixture on the circuit – even though things went terribly wrong during the Vegvisir Race: Schollmayer went overboard – but swam back to shore on his own.

He used to hold the course record in the small class with his legendary Esse 850 – also known as “Firlefranz” – at 20 hours, 23 minutes and 14 seconds. That was until Oliver Schmidt-Rybandt beat it by almost two hours in 2021 with his Dehler 30 OD.

The rising star: Marlene Brudek with the JPK 10.30

Ever since she first signed up for the Silverruder as a beginner sailor, she has Marlene Brudek He has hardly missed a single major regatta. First a small Sunbeam, then a First 27, and now the JPK 10.3 “Heartbeat 2” – a boat on which she has now even crossed the Atlantic in both directions. Compared to her old First 27, the JPK 10.30 is a quantum leap in terms of speed and sail area – but also in terms of complexity. In tight regatta conditions, with other boats bunched closely together at the start, the sporty French yacht is significantly more demanding to handle.

The designer at the helm: Sam Manuard on Jan Hansen’s First 38E

Jan Hansen is unable to take part in the race this year, as his daughter is getting married this weekend. His place on board his Beneteau First 38E “The Beast” – the record-holder in its class – will instead be taken by a Frenchman: Sam Manuard, the boat’s designer himself. Manuard most recently made a name for himself with the development of the Pogo RC make a name for himself. Now, as he steers his own creation single-handedly through the Svendborg Sound, he could make history: can he break the record set by his client in the boat he designed himself?

The Dehler drama: One against all

In the Keelboats Small class, it could have been a thrilling contest given the wind forecast. The Dehler 30 OD is regarded as the fastest production boat in its class, and previous editions have shown what it is capable of: in 2021, Oliver Schmidt-Rybandt and Max Gurgel in a head-to-head battle spanning 134 nautical miles, which ultimately ended with Schmidt-Rybandt winning by a margin of two seconds – after almost 18.5 hours. Schmidt-Rybandt’s record of 18 hours, 32 minutes and 58 seconds has stood ever since.

This morning, at the start, Jan Hansen named Max Gurgel as the favourite in the class. However, Max Gurgel didn’t start. Neither did the other registered Dehler 30 OD skippers – including Rolf Beckmann, who, following the weather briefing, decided to stick to the 30-knot limit he had set himself. “That was a tough decision,” he says. What ultimately convinced him was not just the wind, but the conditions at the northern tip of Funen: “A relatively short, steep wave builds up there because the water goes from deep to shallow – one and a half metres high, but short. And that’s anything but pleasant for these boats.” The prospect of such rough seas, especially at night, led him – like many other participants – to stay in harbour.

One rider set off anyway: Kasper Wedersøe on his “The Hulk”. Alone against the clock, alone against Schmidt-Rybandt’s record. Whether the wind will give him the chance to break it remains to be seen.

​The European Championships are underway: Seascape 27 and First 27 SE are battling it out for the European title

The Silverruder is not just a single-handed regatta – it also hosts the European Championship for the First 27 SE every year, organised under the auspices of EUROSAF. An individual European Championship where you don’t have to be a professional to take part. Last year’s winners were Kåre Gibsholm-Madsen (Denmark), ahead of Peder Edman and Janne Magnusson (both from Sweden).

The fact that the First 27 SE – also designed by Sam Manuard – is today hosting its own European Championship as part of the Silverruder, whilst Manuard himself is sailing through Svendborgsund on Jan Hansen’s First 38E at the very same time, is one of those little coincidences that make the Silverruder so special. And anyone familiar with the class knows: the boats are fast, the fleet is tightly bunched – and the title is fiercely contested.

When the first runners cross the finish line

As expected, at the top of the Multihull Large class is Jan Andersen with his black marlin. In 2021, he completed the 134 nautical miles in 14 hours, 8 minutes and 53 seconds – a record that has stood ever since. Given today’s wind conditions, it cannot be ruled out that the fastest multihulls might cross the finish line as early as tonight.

In the Keelboats Large class, the current leader is Wolfram Heibeck with his “Black Maggy”. The master boatbuilder from Hooksiel, who once literally sawn his Open 40 boat in half in order to compete in the next higher class, has held the class record since 2021 with a time of 17 hours, 36 minutes and 50 seconds.

Go to the tracker and the introductory video

You can follow all the latest interim results live on the tracker: ➡ Click here for the tracker

Missed the start? You can watch it again here: ➡ Intro video on YouTube