Den allersidste dans med Aeolos P30
Jeg ankom til Svendborg allerede tirsdag aften med båd der var helt klar til race efter forrige weekends Vegvisir Race, hvor jeg var første båd i mål på den korte bane.
Det er altid godt med lidt selvtillid på kontoen.
Der var bestilt dykker til at rengøre bunden torsdag morgen. Jeg var selv så klar som aldrig før.
Der var bare lige det at båden allerede var solgt og jeg havde fået lov at bruge den til denne sidste sejlads før den skulle afskibes til Hobart / Tasmanien. Torsdag aften tog jeg beslutningen om at sejle forsigtigt, ikke at tage chancer, nyde sejladsen uden stress og bare sikre at båden kom banen rundt uden skrammer. Resultatet var sekundært.
Fredag morgen stod vi alle op til 10-15 tws fra SW med en vejrudsigt der fra fredag aften lovede venstre drejende vind. I Svendborg Sund var der en solid modstrøm på omkring en knob.
Vind- og strømforhold gav god plads ved startlinjen, så til trods for en tilbageholdende start hvor jeg var 30 sekunder fra linjen i skuddet, så var der masser af fri vind. En del prøvede lykken med codesejl, men til min lette båd var storsejl og fok var rigelig fint med sejlareal.
Min code blev rullet ud på vej ud mod Thurøbøjen, en bomning lagt et par hundrede meter inden om bøjen. Derfra twa på 120-140 grader, 20 knob tws op til 25 i pustende mod broen. Da jeg havde lovet mig selv at tage den med ro, så var bare at rejse nordpå med Code 0 og undgå at blive fristen af A5’n.
Det gik da også rigtig fint, farten lå mellem 10 og 13 knob og jeg kom til broen samtidig med 2 de bedst sejlende Dehler 30 OD, Play Harder (Max Gurgel) og Powerplay (Bjarne Lorenzen). De sejlede begge med asym.
Jynx, en godt sejlende Esse 850 (Patrick Heinrichs) var første small-klasse båd ved broen. Der var også et par Seascape 27 som havde sneget sig ind i det gode selskab, jeg selv var 6’r.
Efter broen skulle vi holde lidt højere og jeg måtte tage Coden ned. De 2 Dehler 30 kunne holde deres Code 0 oppe og trak noget fra.
Nordfyn blev rundet som 3’r. Derfra blev det starten på knap 14 timers bidevind / kryds. Æbelø kunne lige præcis holdes op i de omkring 20 knob tws.
Jynx som jeg ellers havde sejlet fra, kom langsomt men sikkert forbi igen og de 2 Dehlere forsvandt ud under horisonten.
Efter Æbelø tog jeg et slag ind mod Bogense for at drage fordel af den venstredrejende vind, en god beslutning som lagde afstand til de konkurrenter der bare holdt på.
Efter en relativ udramatisk passage af de 2 broer, kom jeg ud af snævringen som 4. båd og vinden gjorde helt som lovet, den drejede mod venstre.
Det gjorde den faktisk hele natten, så ved hvert et hjørne hvor jeg tænkte, herfra kan jeg holde mod den næste pynt, kvitterede vinden blot med 10-20 grader mere til venstre.
Al den modvind bliver aldrig favoritbetingelserne for min Aeolos, så jeg gled lidt ned gennem geledderne til en 7. plads.
Nu havde jeg også besluttet at nyde sejladsen og jeg regnede med der nok skulle komme en mulighed for at vinde lidt tilbage.
Ved et tiden valgte Jynx fra placering som nr. 2, at sejle direkte ind i Bogø og blev der en rum tid og da vinden også aftog lidt, kunne jeg bedre følge trit med de øvrige konkurrenter.
Apropos det med at gå på grund, så har jeg stor glæde af min 12” Garmin plotter. Den giver overblikket og selvom jeg har sejlet Fyn Rundt mere end 70 gange, er der stadig situationer hvor der lige skal kontrolleres hvor meget Fyn fylder. Med mit Quatix ur kan jeg siddende på kanten, zoome ud og ind på kortet, ret nice 🙂
Jeg bruger også en funktion med at lægge bådens polardiagram ind i plotteren, så jeg ved hele tiden om der sejles optimalt.
I det spæde daggry før Lyø havde jeg sneget op som nr. 4, kun med 3 Dehlere foran. Men Play Harder var som forreste båd hele 8 sømil foran og nok helt ude for rækkevidde.
Indenfor rækkevidde var derimod Hulken der var 3’r. I den aftagende og rummende vind var jeg noget hurtigere og passerede Hulken med ca. 9 sømil til mål.
Kort før Lehnskov var det tid til Code 0 igen.
Jeg kan godt at se mange længere fremme i sundet sejlede med nylonsejl, men jeg vurderede at i den medgående strøm ville det være passende med et fladere sejl og mere manøvredygtighed.
En klump på 20-30 både fra Luffe 45 og nedad i størrelse var parkeret i meget let luft ved Rantzausminde da jeg svingede ind i Sundet.
Tynd luft er lige mig og båden. Bevar roen, sid stille i kajakken, helst ingen sejlskift, tro på dit valg og find et spor op gennem feltet så skal det nok gå.
Og det gjorde det så, Powerplay blev overhalet omkring Dødemandsgrunden hvor en indgående færge gjorde sit til at øge spændingen i det tætte felt af både.
Jeg holdt mig helt på ydersiden af renden til styrbord og var til luv af færgen og slap nådigt. Igen, man skal kæmpe for at holde sit spor og ude sig ude af problemerne.
Ved Svendborgsund broen gik den ikke længere med Code 0, vinden var for rum og for tynd. Sejlskiftet til A2 var nøje planlagt og gik relativ hurtig. Der blev lidt pakket med både mellem broen og Vindeby Havn, så en hurtig bomning til bb halse og et kort ben på 100 m over mod den runde havn, gav fri vind. Endnu et par bomninger, over mod værftet på bb halse, holde den længe som muligt før den sidste bomning blev lagt mod mållinjen og i mål som 2’r kun 100 meter efter den altid godt sejlende Max Gurgel i Play Harder. Godkendt.
Lidt fakta:
I smallklassen, 25-30 fod, var der 88 tilmeldte. 65 startende, 62 fuldførende.
Min sejltid var 23 timer og 32 minutter. De sidste brugte mere end 40 timer, sejt kæmpet og stor respekt.
Min konkurrent fra Vegvisir, JPK 1030 Rentnerbank tog kraftig revanche og vandt mediumklassen i et tæt opløb, stort tillykke!
Resultaterne kan ses her: https://www.silverrudder.com/?Results
Trac-Trac kan ses her: https://live.tractrac.com/viewer/index.html?target=https://em.liveserver1.tractrac.com/events/45d5c330-0975-013e-8ee0-1c6b0055db37/races/9a807850-750f-013e-2d2c-04421a259aad.json&banners=https://em.liveserver1.tractrac.com/api/v2/events/45d5c330-0975-013e-8ee0-1c6b0055db37/banners.json
En stor tak verdens bedste shorecrew Helle Hansen og Morten Davidsen, som holdt mig i gang og opmærksom under hele sejladsen.
Og en kæmpe tak til alle de frivillige omkring Silverrudder. I ved det jo godt, men uden jer, ingen sejlads. Tak!
Tak for dansen Aeolos.
Til næste år bydes jeg op af min nye First 36 Seascape Edition.
Kort efter starten. / Shortly after the start
The very last dance with Aeolos P30
I arrived in Svendborg on Tuesday evening with a boat that was completely ready to race after last weekend’s Vegvisir Race, where I was the first boat to finish on the short course.
It’s always good to have a little self-confidence in your account.
A diver had been ordered to clean the bottom on Thursday morning. I myself was as ready as ever.
It just so happened that the boat had already been sold and I had been allowed to use it for this last sailing before it was shipped to Hobart / Tasmania. On Thursday evening I made the decision to sail carefully, not to take any chances, enjoy the sailing without stress and just ensure that the boat got around the course without any scratches. The result was secondary.
On Friday morning we were all up to 10-15 knots from SW with a weather forecast that from Friday evening promised a left-turning wind. In Svendborg Sund there was a solid countercurrent of about one knot.
Wind and current conditions gave plenty of room at the starting line, so despite a reluctant start where I was 30 seconds from the line at the shot, there was plenty of clear wind. Some tried their luck with code sails, but for my light boat the mainsail and jib were plenty of sailarea.
My code was rolled out on the way out towards Thurøbøjen, a jiibe was laid a few hundred meters inside the buoy. From there twa at 120-140 degrees, 20 knots tws up to 25 in gusts towards the bridge. Since I had promised myself to take it easy, all I had to do was travel north with Code 0 and avoid being tempted by the A5.
It went really well, the speed was between 10 and 13 knots and I got to the bridge at the same time as 2 of the best sailing Dehler 30 ODs, Play Harder (Max Gurgel) and Powerplay (Bjarne Lorenzen). They both sailed with asym.
Jynx, a well-sailed Esse 850 (Patrick Heinrichs) was the first small-class boat at the bridge. There were also a couple of Seascape 27s that had crept into the good company, I myself was 6’r.
After the bridge we had to keep a little higher and I had to lower the Code. The 2 Dehler 30s could keep their Code 0 up and pulled away.
Nordfyn was rounded as 3’r. From there it was the start of almost 14 hours of upwind. Æbelø could just be layed up at around 20 knots tws.
Jynx, which I had otherwise sailed from, slowly but surely passed me again and the 2 Dehlers disappeared below the horizon.
After Æbelø I tacked towards Bogense to take advantage of the left-turning wind, a good decision that put some distance between me and the competitors who kept on on port tack.
After a relatively undramatic passage of the 2 bridges, I came out of the narrowing as the 4th boat and the wind did exactly as promised, it turned to the left.
It actually did that all night, so at every corner where I thought, from here I can lay up to the next corner, the wind simply responded with 10-20 degrees more to the left.
All that upwind is never going to be the favorite conditions for my Aeolos, so I slipped a little down through the ranks to 7th place.
Now when I had decided to enjoy the sailing and I figured there would be an opportunity to gain back a little.
At one point, Jynx chose from second position to sail directly into Bogø and stayed there for a while and when the wind also calmed down a little, I could better keep up with the other competitors.
Speaking of going aground, I really enjoy my 12” Garmin plotter. It gives you an overview and even though I have sailed around Funen more than 70 times, there are still situations where you just need to check how much Funen is. With my Quatix watch, I can zoom in and out on the map while sitting on the edge, which is pretty nice 🙂
I also use a function to upload the boat’s polar diagram into the plotter, so I always know if I am sailing optimally.
In the early dawn before Lyø I had crept up as number 4, with only 3 Dehler ahead. But Play Harder was the leading boat a full 8 nautical miles ahead and probably completely out of range.
On the other hand, Hulken on third place, was within range . In the decreasing wind, I was somewhat faster and passed Hulken with about 9 nautical miles to go.
Shortly before Lehnskov it was time for Code 0 again.
I could to see many boats further ahead in the sound sailed with nylon sails, but I judged that in the current it would be appropriate to have a flatter sail and more maneuverability.
A group of 20-30 boats from Luffe 45 and below in size, were parked in very light air at Rantzausminde when I turned into the Sound.
Thin air is just the case for me and the boat. Stay calm, sit still in the kayak, preferably no sail change, believe in your choice and find a track up through the competitors and it will work out.
And so it did, Powerplay was overtaken around Dødemandsgrunden where an incoming ferry did its part to increase the tension in the dense field of boats.
I stayed completely on the outside of the channel to starboard and was to the windward of the ferry and was mercifully let go. Again, you have to fight to keep your track and stay out of trouble.
At the Svendborgsund bridge it was no longer good with Code 0, the wind angel was too open. The sail change to A2 was carefully planned and went relatively fast. There was a bit of a jam between the bridge and Vindeby Harbour, so a quick jiibe to port and a short leg of 100 m over towards the round harbour, gave a clear air. A few more jiibes, over towards the shipyard on port, keeping it as long as possible before the last jiibe was laid towards the finish line and finishing as 2nd only 100 meters behind the always well sailing Max Gurgel in Play Harder. Approved.
A few facts:
In the small class, 25-30 feet, there were 88 registered. 65 starting, 62 finishing.
My sailing time was 23 hours and 32 minutes. The last ones took more than 40 hours, hard fought and great respect.
My competitor from Vegvisir, JPK 1030 Rentnerbank took strong revenge and won the medium class in a close race, big congratulations!
The results can be seen here: https://www.silverrudder.com/?Results
Trac-Trac can be seen here: https://live.tractrac.com/viewer/index.html?target=https://em.liveserver1.tractrac.com/events/45d5c330-0975-013e-8ee0-1c6b0055db37/races/9a807850-750f-013e-2d2c-04421a259aad.json&banners=https://em.liveserver1.tractrac.com/api/v2/events/45d5c330-0975-013e-8ee0-1c6b0055db37/banners.json
A huge thanks to the world’s best shorecrew Helle Hanse and Morten Davidsen who kept up the spirit during the entire race.
And a huge thanks to all the volunteers at The Silverrudder. You already know, but without you, no race. Thanks!
Thanks for the dance Aeolos.
Next year I will be invited by my new First 36 Seascape Edition.