An IOR classic
2020
Double-handed SKAGEN ROUND
As we all know, 2020 was a special year because the whole world was dealing with a vile virus. The fact that sailing plans were also affected is not actually worth mentioning, it's just a trivial matter - meaningless in view of the other effects and extent of the crisis.
​
Nevertheless, it affected our sailing plans a little more dramatically than the cancellation of just an ordinary holiday trip, because we had planned to take part in the SKAGEN ROUND regatta at NORDSEEWOCHE 2020 as an essential step in our qualification for our "once-in-a-lifetime" project FASTNET RACE 2021 - but the entire NORDSEEWOCHE was rained off, what a shame.
​
The story leading up to the final cancellation of the NORDSEEWOCHE 2020 was a little more complicated, When incidence rates decreased and outside temperatures rose and people enjpyed to stay outdoors again, everyone was trembling towards the Pentecost weekend in the hope that regatta sailing would be possible again. And the organizers of the NORDSEEWOCHE were tireless in adapting the planning of their traditional regatta to the unpleasant epidemic conditions. At least the long distance race with just double-handed crews seemed to be possible, and we registered for that too - but it didn't help and ultimately this race too had to be canceled.
But we didn't want to let that frustrate us, so we decided to sail our private SKAGEN ROUND as a double-handed cruise in compliance with Corona and regatta restrictions - some 550 nautical miles from Cuxhaven (Helgoland was closed) to Laboe. And “we” in this case were my college friend and FASTNET navigator Willie and I.
​
However, our SNIFIX DRY is extremely unsuitable for shorthanded sailing, with its separate steering cockpit, the large non-rollable headsails (top rig with "front drive"), apart from the spinnaker winches, no winch and no sheet within reach of the helmsman, and certainly not the traveler, halyards or straighteners . But with a little practice and foresighted tactics it's possible - and so this trip became a great thing and a wonderful experience.
​
We started on Whit Monday, June 1st, 2020, in the morning with the ebb tide off Cuxhaven for our private RUND SKAGEN as "extended version" including the usual "feeder regatta" to Helgoland. There we passed between the island and the dune and then headed north following the usual regatta course.​
​
North and Baltic Seas showed opposite characters than customary expected: North Sea was accommodatingly comfortable, sometimes even too calm - we even had to anchor for hours off Blavandshuk to avoid being driven back - on the Baltic Sea instead the weather changed and this leg became a rough one. And the wind shifted to the right, so that we had to sail upwind the whole time.
​
But everything went well and after 5.5 days we finally reached Laboe in the best weather and in a good mood.
​
Nice trip - learned a lot.
