Event Winning out the box
The first Baltic Sea Race which took place this summer was an instant success... not so much a classic in the making but a classic already
The idea of a new 635-mile race in The Baltic Sea was the brainchild of the Ocean Racing Alliance. At the core of the Finnish organisation are three passionate RORC sailors: Jan Paukkunen, Sakari Kalske and Ari Känsäkoski, who have all competed in the Rolex Fastnet Race and RORC Caribbean 600. ORA proposed a race, starting and finishing in Helsinki, and approached the Royal Ocean Racing Club to organise it. On 21 July 2022 that idea became
reality when more than 200 sailors including all of the ORA founders, crossed the start line of the inaugural Roschier Baltic Sea Race. Sailors from 18 different nations took part. Teams from Poland, Germany, Sweden and Finland won honours in the race, with a fairy tale overall victory for the smallest boat. Deciding on the course for the
race required complex analysis with the objective of producing a safe and challenging race. Generally, the course is an anticlockwise circuit of the Baltic Sea with the rarity of rounding three lighthouses as well as the Swedish island of Gotland. The proximity of land at all of the marks of the course provided strategic options and the lack of strong tides prevented the course from becoming one-sided. The northern hemisphere had
one of the hottest summers on record and as with many sailing regattas, high pressure dominated the Roschier Baltic Sea Race. This weather scenario produced a number of light wind restarts during the race. With winners being decided under the IRC Rule, a reason first for
74 SEAHORSE
such a high-profile race, the results couldn’t have been close for such a diverse range of boats and conditions. Ultimately, a fast downwind component, on the final leg to Helsinki, gave the smaller boats the final twist in a highly competitive race. Finnish H-323 Silver Moon II, skippered by Salla Kaven won the 2022 Roschier Baltic Sea Race having scored the best time after IRC correction. There was a standing ovation for the Finnish amateur crew as they received the Baltic Sea Race trophy. Since they were children, the Kaven family have raced the 9.9 metre sloop on Lake Päijänne in Southern Finland. In the past, Silver Moon had won many local races in the Baltic, but to win against professional international competition, racing modern offshore boats was an impressive victory. All of the Silver Moon crew work in social care; a teacher, a nurse, an ambulance driver and a firefighter. The crew of Silver Moon II: Salla Kaven, Heidi Ekholm, Kari Itkonen, Jorma Kaven, Jouni Kaven. ‘I am speechless, just so happy,
we never thought we could win this race. It was great sailing, and everything went well, but even when we crossed the line, I didn’t believe it,’ says Salla Kaven. ‘The message to all the amateur sailors out there is - you can do it if you want to; do what you love.’ The race for line honours was constantly swapping between three teams: VO65 Ambersail 2 skippered by American Clarke Murphy, VO70 GP Bullhound sailed by Per Roman,
Top: the VO70 GP Bullhound was third to cross the
nish line of the Roschier Baltic Sea Race. High pressure and light winds dominated in this inaugural edition of the race. Above: two of the organisers, Finnish RORC / ORA members Sakari Kalske and Ari Känsäkoski
and I Love Poland. All had victory in sight during the race, but in the final few miles, an astonishing light airs battle saw Tilmar Hansen’s German TP52 Outsider catch up 30 miles to join the race for line honours. I Love Poland crossed the finish line just 700 metres ahead of Outsider after 72 hours of racing. GP Bullhound was less than an hour behind. Ambersail 2 finished fourth, after at one stage having an 18-mile lead. I Love Poland, owned by the
Polish National Foundation and sailed by a young crew, skippered by Grzegorz Baranowski, crossed the finish line to win the Bobby Lowein Wheel for monohull line honours. The elapsed time of three days, 27 minutes, 37 seconds is the monohull race record. ‘The plan was to fight to the end
and it was exactly that. There were a few wind holes, but we crossed the line first and we are delighted. When I look at the names on this trophy, we are so proud that ours will go with them. I am even more proud of my young crew who are trying their best to go forward. Thank you to the organisers of this race, it has been a privilege to compete in the first
PEPE KORTENIEMI
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