Victory at Vegvisir Race - Wild sailing with the Black Marlin trimaran in the Danish Archipelago
by TeamGaebler 4 Sep 2021 08:25 PDT
4 September 2021
Black Marlin - Vegvisir Race 2021 © TeamGaebler
Sail racing between the islands in Denmark is one of the best experiences you can do in the north of Europe. And the Vegvisir Race is one of these new sailing adventures you must do.
The event is open for all kind of mono- and multihulls. And following the wish of many to sail double or single handed. Fantastic event concept made in Denmark in the western Baltic Sea.
And it is always a great pleasure for me to sail with Jan Andersen, the designer, builder, helmsman and owner of the legendary 10-Meter "Black Marlin" trimaran. He knows his sailing area very well. If you see the course area, you know what I mean.....
It's a real challenge for the navigator to find the right route between all the islands. In this western area of the Baltic Sea the water is not so deep and the islands having long sandy legs under the water. It is quite easy to touch some of these with your keel and boards.
We use a simple tablet and smartphone with Navionics Sea charts and all works fine. Especially in the night. One corner we took a bit to close, and our centreboard gave the ground a kiss. But we have kick-up swing centreboards and rudders on the Black Marlin trimaran. They can handle these easy with any technical problems. It's the perfect solution for sailing in archipelagos.
But sailing and flying a superfast multihull in the night in strong winds is always a very special experience. Sometimes it feels like driving fast on the highway blindfolded. This night the moon was too thin to give is the light. Only the stars showed us the lay lines to the next marks and channels we must pass.
The races started and finished in the centre of Nyborg east of Fünen. Our course was 156 nautical miles (289km). All started in light winds from west. Sun and blue sky. During the night the winds freshened up and turned a bit to the north. In the morning we had gusts of up to 30kts. We made the wild ride through the archipelago it in 16 hours and 12 minutes. three hours before the second multihull.
Again, the Black Marlin trimaran mastered all conditions very well. At some corners we had high waves and strong winds against us on the upwind curse. But we always had everything under control and technically everything worked perfectly. The boat is just very stable.
The last 20 miles before the finish we had a super-fast run with the wind from the side and non-stop flying hulls. An amazing feeling!
Physically and mentally, the race was very stressful. We couldn't sleep that night. Full concentration was required every second from both of us. The area and the boat are demanding all the time in such a challenging race and weather. We gave everything and won the race by a big lead.
More information at www.vegvisirrace.com