Two New Courses Two New Adventures: Vegvisir Race 2026 Unveils the 200 NM Red Course and 100 NM Green Course

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For the 2026 edition, the Vegvisir Race once again raises the bar with two demanding, multi-faceted courses designed to challenge the very best doublehanded and singlehanded sailors.

The Red Course, stretching 200 nautical miles, offers a vast and varied adventure across the Great Belt, the Baltic Sea, and the legendary southern archipelagos.The Green Course, 100 nautical miles long, is a pure inshore navigational test through the maze-like beauty of Smålandsfarvandet — tight, tactical, and unmistakably Vegvisir.

Both courses are shaped with one goal: to deliver world-class adventure sail racing.

The Red Course – 200 Nautical Miles of Pure Variety

Start: Thursday, September 2

The Red Course begins with a dramatic departure from Nyborg, sending the fleet north towards Romsø within the Great Belt. After rounding the island, sailors set a southeasterly course along the coast of Zealand, carefully avoiding both commercial traffic and Route Tango.

Passing under the Great Belt Bridge and sweeping by Korsør, the participants enter a section that feels quintessentially Vegvisir — complex, beautiful, and unforgiving.

This year, the course has been specifically adjusted for boats with greater draught, ensuring safe but still demanding conditions as the fleet navigates the rocky island clusters between Zealand and Lolland-Falster. The “Tour de Force” through the archipelago includes:

• Passing Agersø

• Rounding Femø

• Leaving Fejø to port

• Leaving Vejrø to starboard

From here the fleet heads south into Langelandsbælt, keeping Langeland to starboard, before setting off on a long offshore stretch towards the entrance of Flensborg Fjord, where a mark must be rounded.

The return leg leads the sailors back northeast, passing Ærø to starboard before entering the infamous Svendborgsund* — a narrow, technical, and often nerve-wracking passage that can decide the entire race.

Once clear of Svendborgsund, the final target is simple in theory but never in practice:The finish line in Nyborg.

"I'm thrilled about this new course, and I'm certain that the participants are in for some true adventure sail racing — as far west as Flensborg Fjord, including both the Great Belt Bridge, the archipelagos south of Zealand and Funen, and the long offshore leg on the western part of the Baltic Sea."— Carsten Berntsen, Head of Racing, Nyborg Sejlforening

The Green Course – 100 Nautical Miles of Pure Inshore Challenge

Start: Friday, September 3

Compact, tactical, and deeply navigational — the Green Course is a full Vegvisir Race experience inside the tightly woven waterways of Smålandsfarvandet.

From the start, participants head east under the Great Belt Bridge, continuing eastward before turning southeast toward Agersø. Here, they reach a new highlight of the 2026 edition:a rounding mark at the entrance to Guldborgsund — the first time the Vegvisir Race has included this area.

From Guldborgsund, the fleet sails northeast into a section where tiny navigational choices make enormous differences. The course then threads through the island cluster around:

• Femø

• Vejrø

• local shoals and narrow inshore passages

Keeping Femø and Vejrø to port, the sailors push back toward Nyborg, where precision and timing will determine the winners.

Though half the length of the Red Course, the Green Course is by no means “easy.”It is a deep dive into authentic Vegvisir racing: constant trimming, constant thinking, and almost no time to rest.

Both Courses Open to Doublehanded and Singlehanded Sailors

Both the Red and Green courses may be sailed doublehanded or singlehanded.A new rest-time rule will be introduced for singlehanded sailors on the 200 NM course to increase safety during long-duration sailing.

Notes and Conditions

*) Light wind protocol:If very light winds are forecast, Svendborgsund on the Red Course will be replaced with Rudkøbingløbet, sending the fleet south of Tåsinge instead.Any modifications — including sailing direction — will be announced at the official skippers’ briefing.