Singlehanded: First Danish championship in single-handed sailing, open to German participants

The championship will be held from 29 to 31 August at the same time as the Vegvisir Race Nyborg. The races will be organised according to the World Sailing Racing Rules and the Danish Handicap System (DH). The event has been organised thanks to a collaboration between the Nyborg Sailing Association (Nyborg Sejlforening), the Danish Sailing Association, the Vegvisir Race organisation and Morten Brandt Rasmussen's marketing agency Shorthand ECM, who also initiated the Lyø Escape, Silverrudder Challenge, Vegvisir Race and Round Denmark Race.

According to Rasmussen, it is unique not only in Denmark, but in the whole of Europe, that a national association under the umbrella of World Sailing is supporting an official national single-handed sailing championship for keelboats at a single venue. In doing so, the Danish Sailing Federation is recognising the continued interest in single-handed sailing regattas in Northern Europe, which was sparked in 2012 with the first edition of the Silverrudder Challenge of Sea.

• Even without records - "The best Silverrudder ever"

The Danish Sailing Association is delighted

"We have been following the development of single-handed and double-handed sailing for several years," says Mikael Jeremiassen from the Danish Sailing Association. "We can see that there is a lot of interest in this form of sailing. When Nyborg Sailing Association and Shorthand ECM enquired about the possibility of organising a single-handed regatta, it was natural for us to take part in this trip. Among other things, the Danish Sailing Association wants to contribute to safety, including the requirements for safety equipment for the individual boats and skippers, but also the requirements for the organisation of the distance races."

The differences to other single-handed regattas

The Singlehanded Championship will be something completely different from the Silverrudder Challenge and the many similar regattas that have sprung up in its wake.

The most important changes are as follows:

• The races will be organised according to the rules of World Sailing.
• Both course regattas and distance regattas are held
• The boats of the participants must be measured according to the DH measurement rule
• Increased requirements are placed on the safety equipment of the boats
• Increased demands on sailing and positioning on the distance course

Nyborg is in the starting blocks

"We have a lot of experience in organising championships for different boat classes, but a single-handed championship under the DH measurement rule is of course something completely different," says Marianne Holmer, chairwoman of Nyborg Sejlforening. "We are pleased and proud that the Danish Sailing Association has entrusted us with this task, a task that we will approach with great humility and thoroughness to ensure that we get the best possible championship for participants and spectators."

The format of the championship

The event will take place at the same time as the Vegivisir Race Nyborg 2024, and the participants in the championship will share the 85 nautical mile "Blue Course" with the Vegvisir racers.

The format of the race is a combination of course racing and coastal racing. The course race will take place on Thursday 29 August and Friday 30 August in Nyborg Fjord, while the coastal race will be held on the 85 nautical mile "Blue Course" of the Vegvisir Race, which includes crossing under the Great Belt Bridge and challenging night sailing in the navigation-intensive waters between Zealand and Lolland/Falster. The winner is the skipper with the best performance over the three days in terms of corrected time according to the DH measurement rule.

• Registration and further information

The Dansk Handicap System

The DH system is the Danish national handicap system. Compared to other rules such as ORC or IRC, the handicap procedure is less complicated. The Danish Sailing Association has an extensive database of boats that have already been measured, including measurements of the hull design. A complete DH measurement of a boat and sails is estimated to cost between 50 and 200 euros. Questions about the DH rule and obtaining a measurement certificate in connection with the championship should be addressed to: Mikael Jeremiassen by telephone +45 8820 7017 or e-mail with the note "SH DM" in the subject line.

The Vegvisir Race

Northern Europe's largest two-handed sailing regatta with participants from nine nations. The event will take place in Nyborg on the last weekend of August 2024. The name sponsor of the sailing event is Nyborg Municipality, which is also involved in the numerous activities on land. Contact telephone: +45 4195 2150, e-mail.