This video was shot on Stefan Voss’ Archambault 35 OM ripping along into the darkest night on the Around Skagen Race 2022. That night they sped through the fleet keeping up with 50 and 55-footers. The finish of the 510-mile race was much less excited as they picked their way from catspaw to catspaw to keep moving in the lightest of breezes. Voss’s team finished six overall and the everyone aboard felt the race was great fun with all the highs and lows.
The Around Skagen Race has the reptation of being one of the toughest offshore regattas in Europe. The biennial 510-mile race goes north from the Helgoland Islands around the top of the Jutland Peninsula and then south through the Baltic Sea to Kiel. This course transits three very different bodies of water. The first leg in the North Sea is known for storms, steep waves and swift currents, all these extreme conditions are exasperated by the sea’s relatively shallow depth. The body of water between the southern end of Norway and the top of the Jutland peninsula is called the Skagerrak. It separates the North and Baltic seas. It is much deeper than the North Sea and gets to be nearly 1000 meters near the Norwegian coast. Once the fleet passes Skagen, they are halfway home. The southern journey along the Danish coast is much less physically demanding. The further south they sail, the more inviting the sailing conditions become. The western Baltic Sea is one of the most popular sailing areas in Central Europe and almost always offers decent wind conditions from the west. Heavy weather or calm conditions are rather rare. On the way to the Kiel, there are many tactical decisions to make. Many racing positions change in this part of the Around Skagen race and many class winners have been decided in this final stage of the race.
