The Silverrudder is one of the most coveted single-handed regattas in Europe. This is also confirmed this year. The registration page was activated last night and the server promptly went down. However, according to the organisers, all interested parties were ultimately able to register. This means that the list of participants, which is limited to 450 places for logistical reasons, is once again full, which impressively underlines the unbroken appeal of the classic race around Funen. Race director Philip Cossen apologises for the inconvenience and announces that the registration system will be completely overhauled before the next edition.
YACHT: What happened last night with the registration for the Silverrudder? Many interested parties are reporting error messages.
Philipp Cossen: Honestly, we have a really bad website and after yesterday's incident we have now decided that we need to replace it. We simply had a system failure and we don't know why. The system reported several times that it was in maintenance mode. It was completely unavailable for two hours during the entire login period, which lasted all evening.
Two whole hours? Were there too many registrations at the same time?
Exactly. I will write to all Silver Rudder participants and interested parties today and apologise. Our web support simply says that the system was overloaded. When thousands of people register for the Berlin Marathon at the same time, they have no such problem. We have to get this under control once and for all, it's simply not good enough.
What is the current status of registrations?
We are sold out. All 450 tickets have been sold. The last 15 to 20 tickets went this morning. We are very happy. Normally the 450 tickets sell out in an hour or less. This time it took a little longer due to the technical problems - but everyone who wanted to register made it.
So just a minor technical hiccup?
Exactly that. Just the website, which is down. Nothing dramatic. No Putin, no Trump, no other crises. Our website is simply not good enough. The good news is: Silverrudder itself is as good as ever. It hasn't been affected at all.
And for the future?
We have decided to introduce a new registration system next year. We are amateurs, but we like to learn and want to do better next time.
The Silverrudder starts and ends in Svendborg at Svendborgsund in the south of the island of Funen in Denmark. From there, the participants sail non-stop for around 134 nautical miles around Funen, through the Great Belt and back to Svendborg. The race committee will decide the evening before the race whether to go round to the right or left. The starting line is at Christiansminde.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
