From Lars Linder, Sweden – all pictures by Malcolm Hanes & Peter Busck
Raid Noir is a two day raid in the Stockholm archipelago with an overnight stay with sauna, good food and sailing much like the Stockholms Archipelago Raid, but shorter and colder. The forecast was extreme for Saturday with 30 knots of wind and more in the gusts. Three teams, including Rasmus Rosengren, reigning F18 World Champion, went out on the water. None of them could avoid a capsize in the violently gusty conditions and the races were postponed to Sunday.
No forecast could stop the social schedule and all crews where transported by motorboat to the hidden gem Idöborg to enjoy a sauna, dinner and a good nights sleep in the cosy cabins.
The forecast for Sunday however, looked more promising with 15 -25 knots of wind from Northwest, a clear sky and about 9 degrees in the air. Leg 1 was a 25 Nm downwind gennaker run passing a few check points followed by a short upwind to the lunch stop. Leg 2 a 15 Nm upwind back to Saltsjöbaden.
SWE 103 (Gustafson/Rosengren) did a great start followed by SWE 141 (Karlsson/Nordblom) and found themselves in a high speed duel for almost an hour until SWE 141 capsized and had to abandon race. It was a challenging downwind for the entire field with 25+ gybes and boat speed of 20+ knots and most teams capsized and had a swim in the 10 degrees water. SWE 66 (Persson/Westergren) mastered the conditions with flying colors and was second boat to the finish at Mörtö Bunsö, followed by SWE 1 (Linder, Brunnberg) in third place.
After a much-needed lunch break at Mörtö-Bunsö, it was time for Leg 2, a long upwind back to Saltsjöbaden including a checkpoint and some tactical route choises. SWE 103 took the smartast route, sailed well and managed to keep the lead to the finish. SWE 111 (Lundqvist/Wersäll) finished second followed by 141 (Karlsson/Nordblom) in third place.
Results after two fantastic legs in the archipelago
Boat Team
1 SWE 103 Gustafson & Rosengren
2 SWE 111 Lundqvist & Wersäll
3 SWE 66 Persson & Westergren
4 SWE 1 Linder & Brunnberg
5 SWE 130 Dahl & Palmbad
6 SWE 141 Karlsson & Nordblom
7 SWE 81 Thun & Sjö (mixed)
8 SWE 78 Sommansson Richter & Mårtén
