Vegvisir Race 2026: Record-breaking voyage through Denmark’s archipelago

Difficult weather conditions had been forecast for this year’s Vegvisir Race. Meteorologist and Seascape sailor Jure Jerman had predicted during the weather briefing before the first start that it would be windy and challenging. A low-pressure system west of Scandinavia was affecting the weather in the region, with several fronts expected to pass over Danish waters. And that is exactly what happened.

​Many cancellations and interruptions

“It may not have been the toughest, but it was certainly one of the toughest editions,” says Jochen Rieker, former editor-in-chief and publisher of YACHT. This was his fourth time taking part in the Vegvisir Race; this year, he sailed alongside Christian Holtappels on his Luffe 4004, the “Pamwe Chete”.

It had been a wet and gruelling race, said Rieker. “All the races so far have had difficult stretches, but such persistent strong winds can really get on your nerves after a while.” Even more so than in previous editions, the question had been raised before the start as to whether the race should go ahead at all under these conditions. “After all, you can seriously injure yourself in such conditions.”

Many participants took this as a sign to withdraw. Of the 114 boats entered, 25 had already withdrawn before the race began. A further 19 of the 91 boats on the start lists did not take part. Of the 72 crews that eventually set sail, 40 reached the finish line, whilst 32 withdrew from the race early. Conditions would have been particularly challenging for the solo sailors on the long course. According to the organiser, all solo sailors registered for this course decided either to stay ashore or to switch to the short course.

Responsibility over route length

Whilst in previous years light winds had often put the organisers’ organisational skills to the test, this time it was excessive wind that posed the challenge. The organisers responded by shortening both courses.

The ‘red route’, the long-distance route, was shortened from the original 200 to around 180 nautical miles. The route ran from Nyborg through the Great Belt and the Småland Channel, south round Langeland and across the Svendborg Sound back to Nyborg. The originally planned detour into the Flensburg Fjord was omitted.

The “green route”, the short route, was also shortened from around 100 to about 66 nautical miles. Instead of passing through the Småland Channel and on into the Guldborgsund, the route led via Agersø and Romsø back to Nyborg.

“I think we’ve managed to make the routes sailable whilst acting responsibly,” says Morten Brandt Rasmussen. “We didn’t recklessly send the participants out into excessively difficult conditions.” Rasmussen is the founder of the Vegvisir Race and has also launched events such as the Lyø Escape, the Silverrudder Challenge and the Round Denmark Race.

• ​​Vegvisir Race 2026: Single-handed race cancelled
• ​Vegvisir Race 2026: Strong winds and the prospect of new records

Meteorologist Jerman, who assisted the organisers with the planning, summarises the impact of the adjustment as follows:

“Shortening the course reduces the strain and the counter-torsion slightly. It’s still tricky, though.”

Shortened course meets with a positive response

Many participants welcomed the decision, including Rieker. “This reduced the proportion of the really gruelling legs to a manageable level.” Looking back, Rasmussen does admit that the green leg in particular, at 66 nautical miles, may have been a little too short. Given the conditions, however, the feedback from participants was consistently positive.

“In the Vegvisir Race, we usually talk about endurance as one of the key skills,” said Rasmussen. “You need to be able to navigate well, handle your boat and keep going for a long time.” Although the race was shorter this time, the participants had to perform at 90 or 95 per cent over long stretches.

“Endurance was therefore put to the test in a whole new way this year.”

Finding your own way

For the ninth time, the Vegvisir Race 2026 took single-handed and double-handed crews through Denmark’s archipelago. The sailing rally is organised by Shorthand ECM in collaboration with the Nyborg Sejlforening. The varied routes combine coastal passages with open stretches and navigationally challenging narrows.

The motto ‘Find your way’ took on an additional significance this year. The organisers had made it clear in advance that anyone who felt they or their boat were not up to the challenge should not set off. Many heeded this advice. Others withdrew partway through the race. For the 40 crews who returned to Nyborg, crossing the finish line was therefore all the more significant.

Hardly any opportunity to relax

Rieker and Holtappels realised just how challenging it had become, particularly early on Friday morning. During the night, showers and gusts had swept across Danish waters. The gusts reached speeds of up to 28 knots. The ‘Pamwe Chete’ had rounded Femø and was then tacking against the wind through the Småland Channel.

“The rain quickly made you feel cold right through to the bone,” reports Rieker. “At the same time, you could hardly go below deck, let alone lie down. One person was needed for navigation and the sheets, the other at the helm.”

During the day, conditions eased off slightly. Towards the evening, however, the wind picked up again. Gusts of more than 30, and in some cases 35, knots were recorded. This meant a lot of work, particularly on the cross-wind courses. At the same time, the wind was highly variable, and the poor visibility made navigation even more difficult.

“We’d hoisted the small jib and usually had the mainsail on its second reef,” says Rieker. “It felt as though we’d reefed and unreefed about 30 times.” For many hours, there was hardly any time to take a break or get a proper night’s sleep.

It was the solo sailors and other competitors on the green course in particular who faced the harsher conditions. They had set off on Friday evening, when the wind was still relatively moderate. However, it picked up significantly during the night. At times, it became almost impossible to sail, reports Rieker. The stretch from Agersø to Romsø in particular must have been extremely tough for the single-handed sailors. Many of them withdrew from the race.

Records on shortened courses

The challenging conditions also presented an opportunity to achieve high average speeds. According to the organisers, all previous speed records were broken. The decisive factor here was not just the lap times, but the average speeds achieved over the actual distance sailed.

On the Green Course, “Grand Délice”, a Beneteau First 36.7 in the Medium category, set the fastest time with Anders Heine Hansen and Michael Stempe: 70.08 nautical miles at an average speed of 6.511 knots.

Three records were broken on the red course:

• “Kleine Brise”, 30-foot JK Mod, Small category, Markus Schöner and Niklas Ganssauge: 184.17 nautical miles at an average speed of 7.044 knots
• “Khaos”, Kimoca 35, Medium category, Kim Haugaard and Jonas Sørensen: 190.1 nautical miles at an average speed of 7.76 knots
• “Frostboksen”, Frost 38, Large category, Michael Møllmann and Klaus Rønn Madsen: 189.23 nautical miles at an average speed of 7.699 knots

The winners of the various categories:

Two young female offshore sailors show how it’s done

The young “Uijuijui Fly” team in particular caught the eye with their performance. Juliane Hausmann, 22, is an offshore sailor and trainee boatbuilder. She has already taken part in challenging single- and double-handed regattas such as the Silverrudder and the Baltic 500. This was her second time competing in the Vegvisir Race. Her team-mate, Zoe Coers, who is also 22, comes from the Nacra 17 class, where she competed in European and World Championships and has recently been gaining more and more offshore experience. The pair have already sailed together on several occasions.

“For us, the first ten hours until morning were particularly tough,” reports Hausmann. “There was a lot of wind, and of course we wanted to keep up with the other boats.” After a gruelling upwind leg towards Romsø, they headed south on a broad reach. With winds of around 20 knots, their Dragonfly reached speeds of between 15 and 19 knots.

Little sleep and plenty of manoeuvres

They had to reef the sails time and again. It hadn’t been possible to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time, and everything was soaking wet because of the persistent rain. Nevertheless, Hausmann felt that, overall, the conditions were manageable. “We did, however, reach the finish line again before the really bad weather set in.”

According to the sailors, the “Uijuijui Fly” reached 19.4 knots in complete darkness. Rasmussen met the pair after they crossed the finish line. They both spoke quite naturally about how much fun they’d had. “That’s when I thought: this is the new generation,” said Rasmussen.

More regatta-related topics:

• ​Low-budget regatta: The dream of the Vegvisir Race is over
• ​Low-budget regatta: Trimming the rig, keeping costs down
• ​Racing events: How young crews and DIY sailors get started in low-budget racing
• ​Low-budget regatta: An ageing yacht is being prepared for the Vegvisir Race

Hausmann and Coers had entered the race through the ‘Young Guns’ youth programme. The scheme is designed to make it easier for sailors under the age of 25 to get involved in offshore events by waiving their entry fees.

For Hausmann, the appeal of the Vegvisir Race lies precisely in the mix of the field. Classic yachts, fast production yachts and performance-oriented multihulls all sail the same courses. Experienced competitors come up against young teams, and professional solutions are pitted against home-built modifications.

Many come back every year, says Hausmann. “What’s more, there are lots of sailors with smaller boats taking part, there’s plenty of tinkering going on, and sometimes a few rather mad people come along too.”

A happy ending to round things off

Looking back, Rieker is also glad he decided to take part. “It made crossing the finish line feel even better. You could certainly be a little proud of yourself, because you’d sailed a tough leg and tackled a course that was full of navigational challenges and shallow patches.”

Just before Nyborg, the crew of the “Pamwe Chete” were finally rewarded with a double rainbow. “After around 24 hours without any significant sunshine, it was a moment of relief,” says Rieker. “Suddenly, colour returned to the sky.”

More information about the race you will find here.