Once again, there were perfect conditions for the participants in the Vegvisir Race Nyborg and the Danish Championship in singlehand sailing, which took place simultaneously.
Thursday offered high summer temperatures of up to 30 degrees, combined with winds of about 5-7 m/s, which was close to perfect. The sun is still shining on Saturday over the old royal city in the heart of Denmark, but it's cooler, and the wind has calmed down.
This year, participants experienced very fast courses, especially on the 151 and 238 nautical mile distances, while the race management chose to shorten the 90 nautical mile course due to a wind hole stretching from the northern tip of Langeland to north of Nyborg Fjord from Saturday until Saturday evening.
– We want the participants to have the best possible experience. Although several sailors were reaching top speeds well over 10 knots, the extra 25 nautical miles the route around Vejrø entailed could mean that only the fastest would have a chance to get back to Nyborg before 1 p.m., when the wind was predicted to drop, says Carsten Berntsen from Nyborg Sailing Club. At 11 a.m., there were still three boats on the water south of Nyborg.
The Fastest
The fastest boat on the 151 nautical mile course was the German Seacart 30 trimaran *Avanca*. Skipper and co-skipper Jan Verdenhalven and Ruediger Schwarz finished already on Friday afternoon after approximately 23 hours and 40 minutes of sailing. The fastest on the 238 nautical mile course was the Danish trimaran *Ra*, a Seaon 30. Here, skipper Jacob Haber and co-skipper Thomas Palm Hansen finished after approximately 31 hours and 40 minutes. The fastest man and boat on the Vegvisir Race 90 nautical mile course was the German Patrik Heinrich in his Esse 850. On the shortened course (69 nautical miles), he was at sea for just under 12 hours. However, he was surpassed by the fastest participant in the Danish Championship in singlehand sailing, Martin Meridin, who in his Landmark 43 was underway for about 11 hours and 15 minutes.
New Initiatives on the Water
The new collaboration between Nyborg Sailing Club, the Danish Sailing Union, and Shorthand ECM passed the test with the first Danish Championship in Singlehand Sailing. The races were conducted according to the racing rules and the DH handicap rule. There were 11 registered boats, of which 10 started. 2 had to withdraw. 2 of the participants were Swedish, 1 was German – these competed in the open Danish Championship. The Danish Sailing Union granted an exemption from the rule that 10 boats must start before an official Danish Championship can be held. The races consisted of 4 course races and one offshore race, which counted double. The Danish champion and thus Denmark's best solo sailor became a well-known face in Danish keelboat sailing, Martin Meridin in Landmark 43. Second place went to Jakob Nielsen in Drabant 38, while third place went to Per Cederberg in Seascape 27.
There was great satisfaction among the participants with the organization of the race. Many see Vegvisir Race Nyborg as part of "The Double" when they conclude the sailing season with the Silverrudder Challenge in the second half of September.
New Initiatives on Land
There were several new initiatives this year, both on land and on the water. For instance, eSailing was open in the Meeting Point tent throughout the Vegvisir Race days. Among others, 220 schoolchildren visited. Some of them were introduced to sailing for the first time via the eSports gaming approach. This resulted in several of the children now being signed up for trial sailing at Nyborg Sailing Club. There were also several concerts over the days, attracting Nyborg's citizens to the harbor, especially on Friday evening when the Sailing Club hosted an event with dinner followed by a concert with a TV2 Jam Band.
Business Leaders and Sailing
The city's business community also got closer to sailing, as there was a summit for the city's VIPs on the harbor front on Thursday. After various interesting presentations, including about ambitions and plans for the development of the upcoming years' Vegvisir Race Nyborg, the participants could step outside the tent and enjoy a glass of wine and a light buffet while the large 151 nautical mile starts passed by just outside the pier, where the two Pantaenius Fly By marks were rounded to starboard.
The Numbers Behind the Race
This year's race had 116 registered boats. Of these, 86 chose to start. On the 238 nautical mile course, 16 boats participated, with 2 withdrawing. On the 151 nautical mile course, 47 started, with 3 withdrawing. There were 23 starters on the 90 nautical mile course, with 4 withdrawing. Additionally, there were 11 registered for the Danish Championship in singlehand offshore racing, which was held simultaneously with Vegvisir Race Nyborg and shared the 90 nautical mile offshore course with the Vegvisir Race participants.
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