Nordic challenge

31 solo sailors to compete in today's Simrad OneStar

The latest weather forecast gives promise of an easy start for the 31 solo sailors that are lining up for today's start of the Simrad OneStar - the biggest solo offshore event in the Nordic countries.

Simrad OneStar is five days long starting from Fredrikstad, Norway on this morning (Tuesday), and will take the solo sailors on a 110 nautical mile long passage down the west coast of Sweden and through the Skagerrak to Arendal, Norway.

With light wind on the nose at the start and following winds expected through the Skagerrak, the first boats are predicted to reach Arendal in the early hours of Wednesday. Per Ottar Skaaret's X-50 and Magnus Kullberg on the Open 50 South Carolina, both have a chance to be the first home, as they are the biggest monohulls in the fleet. But they are up against the TRT 1200 Siste Skrik, a catamaran sailed by the experienced Geir Almquist. His is the only multihull in the fleet.

Tor Hove (right), the sailor currently rated as the best shorthanded sailor in Norway, will be sailing his Elan 37 as always. The Rob Humphreys designed Elan 340 (above) is sailed by Vidar Moe, and is making its world race premiere in the Simrad OneStar. The new 34 footer from the Slovenian yard is hull number two. "With her masthead spinnaker she carries as much spinnaker as my 37 footer, so she has to be fast downhill. I have sailed her in light wind and her boat speed impressed me," says Tor Hove of his rival.

After some hours of well earned rest the fleet will start again on Thursday on an eight hour long race that eventually will take them back to Arendal. Then on Friday morning the solo sailors will start on the 80 nautical mile long race back to Fredrikstad.

"This is the unofficial Nordic Championship of solo sailing and we are very pleased that as many as 31 sailors are participating in this first race", says Morten Jensen, editor of SEILmagasinet, the Norwegian yachting magazine.

SEILmagasinet will cover the event 24/7 on the internet with text, bloggs, pictures and audio. All the boats are equipped with tracking devices from Guard Systems that lets the armchair curmudgeons enjoy the adventure from a dry and safe environment.