Extremely fast ÅF Offshore Race
by Mats Olsson 7 Jul 2016 08:50 BST
2-3 July 2016
A repeated favourite did it again when Jimmy Hellberg and his PAC-MAN won the big SRS class in the ÅF Offshore Race (previously round Gotland Race) for the second time in a row.
In the championship class, Jacob Wallenberg came to the start with a boat he had never raced before. He and the crew did a strong race and finished the total winner of ORCi.
For Jimmy the victory was more unexpected than last year when he sailed with a complete crew. This year he chose to start in "double handed" which means that you are only two persons on board. This makes Jimmy´s and Joakim Rodebäck´s achievement, winning to total in SRS two years in a row, even more unique. This is the first time a double handed crew wins the total around Gotland.
"We know the boat and it´s secrets inside and out. We made a good start and then had free winds through the whole archipelago so we could plan all sail changes. Then we were also very lucky with the wind changes. Next time it could be the reverse. This makes sailing so special", says Jimmy.
The classic regatta round Gotland has rarely been so fast. The winds were extremely stable and favourable and good which carried the boats round Gotland in record time.
Jacob Wallenberg had left his beautiful wooden yacht Regina at home and instead sailed the modern Club Swan 42 Regina 2.0 in this year´s race. The boat is five years old and Jacob bought it this year.
"The start in the City with all the spectators was amazing. Everything worked out well and we got away, when some of our competitors got stuck close to shore. Then we had a very nice trip along the east coast of Gotland where we had some wind shifts in our favour during the tack which gave us an enormous payoff", says Jacob.
Jacob says it has been wonderful days at sea and that the crew has been very engaged before the race and trained every free weekend during the year and it has now paid off.
"The manoeuvres we know from before, but then you also must sail. We are very happy to have a real success the first time we competed in such a big regatta", says a contented skipper.
www.ksss.se/en/AFOR