Underway

Archipelago Raid sets sail from Stockholm, plus a report from Conrad Humphreys

The F18 fleet of 28 boats set off from Stockholm today in a stiff 10 - 12 knots of wind with Team Brossard, one of the favourites, and Team Musto Australia first off the line. As the boats set off towards the Archipelago the conditions became increasingly tricky with a mix of stronger winds and light patches.

For many of the world-class fleet it was a baptism of fire as the stronger wind came in and ripped through the fleet resulting in a number of capsized boats. The Nissan Hobiecat boats got a good start to the Raid as they joined the leading pack out of Stockholm as were St Jude Medical.

Navigating their way round a number of checkpoints from Stockholm the fleet then headed for Björnö one of the Archipelago’s finest beaches where they will repair their boats ready for the official start tomorrow.

Unfortunately for one team, Yamaha Silver (FRA) their Raid was ended before it had even begun as damage in transportation meant they were not able to start the race. For the rest of the teams it was a fast and furious day where preservation and damage limitation were paramount ahead of tomorrows official race start.

Bengt Nissar and Jan Schiratzki (SWE) onboard GB Glace were pleased with the day: "It was pretty windy out there so we were pleased not to break anything. We tripped over a few too many things today but we are still fit for a fight. We hear the forecast for tomorrow is less wind which we hope as there are a lot of teams here who will be very good in strong wind."

Ryan Crawford (UK) of Team Blue commented: "It was a great day today - it was very cool out there. We got better as the day went on and although we missed a checkpoint and went swimming we got it together. It was fun."

The official start is tomorrow, Monday, from Björnö at 9.30am. Depending on the weather the teams will navigate anywhere from five to ten checkpoints throughout the day finishing on the island of Fejan in the Northern end of the Swedish Archipelago.





Conrad Humphreys reports from Team Blue :

Breezy first day! The prologue was sailed in a mix of conditions from 6-25 knots causing spectacular wipeouts as gusty conditions caused a large number of capsizes, plus broken daggerboards and one hull holed for the Nissan team.

The challenging Archipelago Raid kicked off today with some spectacular conditions. We got off to a slow start, but very quickly picked off some places to reach the first checkpoint around 10th. The scenery was unreal, as we carved downwind through some of the tinyest little gullies and rocky islands. The breeze built and the gusty conditions were pretty full on. We buried the bow hard and managed to capsize just before the second checkpoint. Luckily so did half the fleet!

Second half, we got into the shifty conditions and closed in on the leaders. By the third checkpoint we were up to 7th and flying.

Not sure where we ended up, somewhere inside the top 10 so pleased with the first day. This race is unbelievable. The key is going to minimise the damage and stay on top of the nav.

Prep all done, sleeping on a beach in Björnö. Tommorrows looking light.