German Class 40, RED sets new record in the Agora direct MidsummerSail 2022
by Robert Nowatzki 26 Jun 2022 22:33 NZST
26 June 2022
The German Class 40 breaks the MidsummerSail record © Axel Schmidt /
www.axelschmidt.net
4 days 19 hours 7 minutes and 46 seconds is the new record for the Agora direct MidsummerSail. The German Class 40, RED, skippered by Mathias Mueller von Blumencron beat the existing record to cross the whole of the Baltic Sea by 22 hours and 29 minutes.
The Agora direct MidsummerSail is a 900 nautical mile challenge, from the southernmost of the Baltic Sea in Wismar, Germany to the northernmost point in Toere, Sweden.
Skipper Mueller von Blumencron said what makes the race, which starts on the longest day of the year, so different is sailing into the white nights of the Scandinavian summer.
"What is amazing is that every 24 hours it gets lighter and lighter, the sunrises and sunsets last so long up here," he said as he arrived in the remote Swedish harbour some 100 kilometres from the Arctic Circle. "It was wonderful, there were so many magical moments."
This year's perfect sailing conditions not only allowed RED to smash the record, but will likely also allow others in the fleet but break records for the other classes, smallest boat and smallest crew.
The race can be followed on the tracker at www.midsummersail.com/gps