Roschier Baltic Sea Race, International Allure

The 2024 Roschier Baltic Sea Race has already attracted an international alumni for the second edition of the 635nm offshore race, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club together with the Ocean Racing Alliance. Starting on July 27, the race is held in almost continuous daylight of the Nordic Summer. Competitors will experience a huge variety of conditions in the enchanting Baltic Sea.

The Roschier Baltic Sea Race is held in the vast marine basin between Sweden, Finland and the Central European mainland, which provides a fascinating environment for the latest 600-mile race on the offshore racing circuit.

Finland’s capital city of Helsinki supports and hosts both the start and the finish of the race providing simple logistics for overseas competitors. Sailors already registered for the 2024 edition come from Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. A warm welcome awaits from the RORC and the Finnish hosts.

Over 30 teams are expected to race for Line Honours and IRC Class Trophies. The overall winner is decided by the best corrected time under IRC, meaning all of the entries have an equal chance of winning the Baltic Sea Race Trophy. IRC is the time on time handicap rating used by nearly all of the major offshore races around the world. For competitors, making the best of the weather and ocean currents are the keys to victory.

Tech.Talk – Finding the Edge

Niklas Zennstrom’s Carkeek 52 Rán will be making their debut in the 2024 Roschier Baltic Sea Race. Zennstrom is a native of Sweden and his Team Rán are no strangers to the Baltic Sea having competed numerous times in the Gotland Runt. Steve Hayles is the navigator on Carkeek 52 Rán. He has competed in six round the world races and was the winning navigator for Team Rán’s back-to-back overall victories in the 2009 and 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race.

“As the race is held in late July we can expect light winds, but local effects can produce significant changes to that forecast,” commented Steve Hayles. “Much of the racecourse has influences from the land which can produce sea breezes, either enhancing or cancelling out the gradient wind. The Baltic Sea's salinity is much lower than that of ocean water. The open surface waters of the Baltic Sea ‘proper’ generally have a salinity of 0.3 to 0.9%, which is border-line freshwater. Although the Baltic Sea does not have significant currents, with a low wind speed, the effect can be proportionality significant. Also surface fresh water from rain squalls can dramatically increase current.

"The Roschier Baltic Sea Race is unlikely to feature huge seas and big breeze, but it is a complex and fascinating race for any sailor. The race is relatively new in comparison to the other 600-mile classics, it adds a fascinating new challenge," concluded Hayles.

The second edition of the Roschier Baltic Sea Race starts on July 27. The Royal Ocean Racing Club with the Ocean Racing Alliance (ORA) is supported by the City of Helsinki, the Nyländska Jaktklubben (NJK), Finnish Ocean Racing Association (FORA), Helsingfors Segelklubb (HSK), FINIRC and the Xtra Stærk Ocean Racing Society.