Entries soar for Roschier Baltic Sea Race

The 2024 Roschier Baltic Sea Race starts from Helsinki, Finland on Saturday 27th of July. Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club with the Offshore Racing Alliance, the second edition of the 635-mile race has attracted boats from all over Scandinavia, Europe and the United States of America. Sailors from at least 20 different countries will be racing in the world’s latest ‘600-mile’ offshore race.

Entries have increased by over 40% since the inaugural race, with a significant number of high-profile race boats taking up the challenge. Corinthian entries and double-handed warriors have also increased nearly two-fold. The overall winner, decided by the best time after IRC time correction, will lift the Baltic Sea Race Trophy. The first multihull to take part in the race in 2022 was Janne Kjellman’s TS42 Squid (FIN). The team is back and looking to break their Multihull Race Record of 4 Days 7 Hrs 29 Mins and 33 Secs.

The Monohull Race Record is 3 Days 00 Hrs 27 Mins 37 Secs set in 2022 by Volvo 70 I Love Poland, skippered by Grzegorz Baranowski. The fastest boats in this year’s race, weather permitting, are capable of setting a faster elapsed time for the Roschier Baltic Sea Race.

IRC ZERO
The highest rated IRC boat in the race is the modified Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 (USA) sailed by Christian Zugel. Boat Captain Johnny Mordaunt has put together a stellar crew including navigator Campbell Field, Neal McDonald, and Stu Bannatyne. Tschüss 2 won the 2024 Gotland Runt, setting a new speed record in the process.

The largest is the brand new Swan 88 Spiip (MLT), launched in May this year, the Roschier Baltic Sea Race will be the maiden race for Spiip. Skippered by Pascal Oddo, Spiip has an international crew of 15 including boat captain Zac Lamb and Norwegian navigator Aksel Magdahl. Kenneth Bjoerklund’s CNB 76 Enderpearl (NOR) is competing for the second time, having finished fifth overall in 2022.

Finnish hopes for the big boat class come from Arto Linnervuo’s Infiniti 52 Tulikettu Redkik Racing (FIN) with a Finnish crew plus the highly experienced performance technician Alex Grant. Tulikettu Redkik Racing has an IRC rating almost exactly the same as Niklas Zennstrom’s Carkeek 52 Rán (SWE). A battle between the flags of Finland and Sweden is much anticipated. Team Rán have enjoyed worldwide success for over a decade. Project manager Tim Powell is part of a superb team for the Roschier Baltic Sea Race including navigator Steve Hayles, Bouwe Bekking and Justin Slattery. Rán was second overall to Tschüss 2 in the 2024 Gotland Runt.

Rán is one of three Swedish entries in IRC Zero, Niclas Heurlin’s Farr 400 WetJob (SWE) won IRC One in 2022, the all-Swedish WetJob crew is back, but this time taking on the big guns in IRC Zero. New to the race, but not RORC racing, is Birgitta Elfversson’s Ker 40 Swee (SWE) which competed in the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race and Rolex Middle Sea Race. All of the nine crew on Swee originally come from Sweden.

Ron O’Hanley’s Cookson 50 Privateer (USA) has made the long trip from Rhode Island, USA to compete and was fourth overall in the 2024 Gotland Runt. Privateer’s crew of 11 incudes boat captain Scott Innes-Jones, navigator Ed Cesar, round the world veteran Juggy Clougher, Jesse Fielding, SailGP’s Ben Bardwell and 600-mile race junky Peter Fletcher.

JV52 Haspa Hamburg (GER) will be raced by a youth team from the Hamburgischer Verein Seefahrt (HGV). No Team Member is older than 29, with five women in the 12-strong team. Based in Hamburg the HGV has raced with the Royal Ocean Racing Club at many international races. In the 2022 Roschier Baltic Sea Race, the HGV entry Störtebeker won IRC Zero and came third overall.

IRC ONE
The 14-strong entry list in IRC One comes from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany and Sweden. Thomas Reinecke’s Millenium 40 Edelweiss (GER) is the highest IRC rated boat in the class. Designed by Marco Lostucci, Edelweiss took just over four days to complete the race in 2022. Another German entry is Dirk Clasen’s Humphreys 39 Ginko (GER)which is also expected to race in the 2025 Admiral’s Cup. Ginko’s all-German crew of eight include the highly experienced Andreas Achner. Another expression of interest for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup is Per Roman’s JPK 1180 Garm (SWE), racing with a Spanish/Swedish crew, including Tore Lewander and Oliver Herrera. Garm won class and was seventh overall in the 2024 Gotland Runt and has also placed well in the Rolex Fastnet Race and Rolex Middle Sea Race.

Xp-44 Xtra Staerk (FIN) was the first Finnish boat to complete the inaugural race. Vesa Hilevaara will skipper the all-Finnish team for this edition. Swan 55 Galiana WithSecure (FIN) is the oldest boat in the race. The classic Sparkman & Stevens yawl will be skippered by Whitbread Round the World sailor Tapio Lehtinen, the first Finnish sailor to race solo around the world. Galiana’s crew for the Roschier Baltic Sea Race will include young Finnish sailors.

IRC TWO
Under IRC, all boats have an equal chance of winning the Roschier Baltic Sea Race. In 2022, the smallest boat, Salla Kaven’s Silver Moon II (FIN) achieved the best corrected time to with the Baltic Sea Race Trophy.

For the 2024 race, Thor Erik Karlsen’s First 40.7 Lykke (NOR) carries the highest IRC rating in IRC Two. Lykke’s home port is Melsomvik in Eastern Norway, which has been a harbour since medieval times. The Ron Holland designed Swan 441 Carissa will be taking part in its second race, once again crewed by an all-women team led by Raija Alapeteri. In 2022, the Ocean Ladies team took four days and 19 hours to complete the Roschier Baltic Sea Race. Ocean Ladies was founded by Alapeteri in 2017 and also champions 'For Cleaner Seas' to raise awareness for responsible sailing.

IRC TWO-HANDED

Seven teams racing in the Roschier Baltic Sea Race will be taking on the 635-mile challenge doublehanded, including the full class podium from 2022. Paer Lindfors’ Albin Nova Team Mobline (SWE) will be defending the 2022 win with co-skipper Nadine Kugel. Class Runner-up in 2022, J/109 Irie (FIN), co-skippered Julius Haartti & Sanna Moliis is back. In the last race, after four and a half days of racing, Irie finished less than four minutes after Team Mobline. Third in 2022 for doublehanded was Anders Lundmark’s Figaro II The Spirit (DEN). Anders is back with his partner Louise Edgren and The Spirit was in fine form for this year’s Gotland Runt, placing fifth in class. The Spirit will have another Figaro II to contend with for the Roschier Baltic Sea Race; Olof Bratthall’s Spjut (SWE), racing with Noel Barkelius.

The largest and highest IRC rating in the double-handed class is Fredrik Rydin’s J/121 Jolene (SWE), racing with Johan Tuvstedt. This will be the duos first race, but the Swedish sailors have previous form winning the short-handed class in the 2021Gotland Runt and taking class line honours in 2023.

Two of the newest boat designs in the race will be competing in IRC Two-Handed. Philip Schröderheim’s J/99 Vitesse (SWE) is racing with Madeleine Lithvall. Annika Paasikivi’s Sun Fast 3300 Stimmy (FIN) will be racing with Olof Rytövaara.

The 2024 Roschier Baltic Sea Race is set to be a memorable regatta with a warm welcome for all competing teams in Helsinki. The Roschier Baltic Sea Race is supported by the City of Helsinki, the Nyländska Jaktklubben, the Finnish Ocean Racing Association, the Helsingfors Segelklubb, FINIRC and the Xtra Stærk Ocean Racing Society.