World class sailors set for the Stockholm Archipelago Raid
by Lars Linder 6 Mar 2019 06:04 GMT
22-26 August 2019
Stockholm Archipelago Raid 2019 © Malcolm Hanes
The extreme F18 long distance race the Stockholm Archipelago Raid is recognized far outside Sweden and attracts top sailors from all over the world who come for the fun, the sport and the adventure. Partly due to the extremely tricky navigation among the 36 000 islands, rocks and skerries the local Swedish teams has been unbeatable for the last 6 years. Maybe this year the Swedish winning streak will come to an end...
Since registration started four days ago 23 teams with sailors from 10 countries already signed up. This year the level of competition will be extremely high. Among the registered teams so far:
- Iordanis "Dany" Paschalidis (GRE), F18 World and European Champion 2018
- Patrick Demesmaeker (BEL), European F18 champion 2017, winner of St Barth Cata Cup and Vincent Thery, Archipelago Raid veteran
- Pierre Yves Moreau / Benoit Lequin (FRA), Maxi trimaran and sport cat transatlantic record holders and Archipelago Raid veterans
- Last year's raid winners Fredrik Karlsson / Niklas Nordblom (SWE) as well as no 2, 3 and 4 from the raid 2018
- Leff Dahl (SWE) F18 Raid World Champion and winner of the raid 2017
- Ole-Petter Pollen / Knut Frostad (NOR) former Olympic sailors
- Eric-Stéphane Georges (MAR) / Cantin Roger (FRA) F18 / Flying Phantom sailors
All winners since the first raid in 2001 can be found in the F18 Hall of Fame.
Sailors who are interested and haven't signed up yet should not wait too long. There is a limit of 30 teams who can enter the event for security and logistical reasons.
The concept
The raid is a mix of sport, nature and adventure in the perfect F18-playground; the stunning Stockholm Archipelago. It is the largest archipelago in Europe with 36.000 rocks, skerries and islands and the most difficult one for navigation.
Each day the fleet will sail between 50 and 100 NM depending on the winds. It will be tight, intensive racing in the daytime and good food and nice company in the evenings. The competitors are free to choose their route between checkpoints. Each team gets a sea chart of the area and coordinates for the checkpoints. It is strongly recommended to have a GPS with plotter attached to wrist or on the chest.
Limited number of charter boats available 2019
Goodall design has a limited number of boats for charter also this year. In 2018 two teams rented top nodge C2s with DS for the raid. It is a great opportunity for teams from overseas or far away who want to take part in the adventure without bringing their own boats. Check out the Goodall offer and enquire for more information here.
Follow the event on Facebook.