Parallel to the last spectacular leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, the Legends Race brought former participant yachts to the course from Gothenburg to The Hague. The result was not only a kind of exciting and attractive class reunion for boats and crews old and new who were successful in the race around the world decades ago, but also an exciting race and lots of fun for the crews at sea and in the Volvo Ocean Race finish harbour of The Hague. The Legends Race was and is a really good idea! Oli Schmidt-Rybandt, Speedsailing partner and skipper of the "Glashäger", reports on his experiences.
By Oli Schmidt-Rybandt
I keep muttering to myself: "Oh man, what have we experienced?" The race of the legends as part of the last stage of the current Volvo Ocen Race was a kind of compulsory programme. As we run three of these legends in a species-appropriate manner, of course we have to be there when it really comes down to the wire. Two boats from the fleet are entered. "Ospa" (formerly "SEB") with skipper Otto Timm and the "Glashäger" (formerly "Illbruck") under me.
Reunion with the yachts that once characterised the Whitbread Round the World Race and the Volvo Ocean Race
The fact that the finish finally corresponds to the order in the race around the world at that time is like a twist of fate and anything but planned. The competition proves to be stubborn.
The road there was tough. Harder than feared. With 35 to 40 knots of wind, the North Sea is uncomfortable. Waves seven metres high are measured from the drilling platforms. We get them from the side. The boats slide at a monkey's pace along the wandering mountains without a name. The overflowing water first impairs visibility. Later it makes it impossible, even later you can't breathe standing at the helm because of the overcoming water. We don't have ski masks with us. Folly. We knew that they can sometimes be invaluable. Now we have to do without them. We are not in the Southern Ocean. Sometimes the only thing telling me how to take the next wave is the angle of heel of the boat under my feet. It works surprisingly well. Illbruck always remains under control. Although the effort required at the wheel is considerable, the current at the rudder blade never stops. You really do get used to it.
We are travelling with a group of guests. A Polish club has booked "Glashäger / illbruck". The men have varying degrees of sailing skills, plenty of team spirit and an astonishingly low cancellation rate due to seasickness. Club skipper Jaroslav / Jarik gives nothing away. He has his crew work the grinders to the limit of exhaustion, pumping the boat's mainsail at every wave. We fly along like this and only now and then does someone from the free watch stick their head out of the companionway to think about the food again. The constant stream of water barely lets the vomit touch the cockpit floor. It is immediately washed away and is found seconds later in the wake. Fellow skipper Otto Timm on "Ospa / SEB" has to contend with more failures and sails one reef more. As a result, the racing sister lags a little behind.
It's a short ride. Early in the morning we come out of the Skagerrak into the North Sea, and by the evening we already have the Dutch coast on our port side. As the wind drops, the work with the sails begins. The reef goes out and a staysail is added. Then the Reacher 1 replaces the jib. From there we switch to the small flat asymmetric spinnaker and when the never-ending traffic separation areas on the port side offer a slip-through, we drop off, switch to a large top runner and jibe immediately. 'Assa Abloy' is almost within hailing distance in the wake. A jibe duel begins. For each manoeuvre, the staysail and the spinnaker pole are removed, only to be set again on the other side immediately afterwards. We gain another mile lead and defend it with further sail changes right to the finish. Illbruck has won her race again and we wonder what they have been up to.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
