Once again it is time to look back at 2021 aboard Veloce!
We kicked off early in March, finally with the boat really race ready. Beacuse of the major changes to sail inventory, a lot of time went into finding crossovers and training boat speed during the entire season.
We participated in most races along the coast with good results:
Stora Oset is one race we always look forward to as it marks the beginning of the racing season. Competition was however officially suspended due to Covid restriction in ’21. A training, or “tune-up” version replaced the official race and we managed to win the race overall. A good start! – Report here Stora Oset Tune Up
Bohusracet brings together a lot of what we love: the challenge, distance, camaraderie, competitiveness and nature. Exhausted and frustrated with the very light to no air conditions we decided to throw the towel near the end. We are still disappointed with our own decision. No excuses here! Report Pantaenius Bohusracet
Gothenburg Lighthouses Solo Race gave some propaganda sailing with great pre-race dinner and party at Björkö. The timeglass at the last jibe must be the fuck up of the year. Finished in 4th place. Full report here Gothenburg Lighthouses Solo Race
Our first real Robline Skagen Race (Skagen and back). Unexpectedly, our most enjoyed event of the season. Pre-party, Race 1, day at Skagen, Race 2 and prize giving in autumn. Great sailing and great fun overall. A podium crowned the whole thing. Total 3rd place in the double handed class. Full report Robline Skagen Race
Öckerö Shorthanded Race 2021, delivered once again. Not a great position overall for us, but the sailing was great, with varying conditions, close boat-to-boat matches and fine weather. Here, most double handed sailors along the coast sharpen their knives and come to race ready for a battle! Our race report here Öckerö Shorthanded Race
Midsummer Solo Challenge is supposed to be an adventure and it is supposed to bring together fellow sailors to be alone together doing what they love doing the most. Well, this year’s edition delivered exactly that with a mix of wind strengths, lightening and thunder, the natural beauty of the settings and the first live dinner in ovid times. Check out the report Midsummer Solo Challenge and make sure to join the adventure next year!
Baltic 500 came up as an option during summer and I jumped at the opportunity to co-skipper Vida. Despite the painful decision not to start on the morning of the race, we had plenty of fun in Denmark and Germany and enjoyed awesome sailing. And we smashed Vida’s speed record. The story here.
2021 has been a year of change as well.
During the trip in Germany for Baltic 500, I matured the idea, which had been cooking for a while, to change Veloce to a smaller and faster sport boat. The reasons are many (here how the reasoning goes), however, in a nutshell I wanted more time on the water for the boating experience and more fun for the bucks. I settled on a J/80 and found one.
Stepped and launched in October, we squeezed out as many hours as possible before the ice covered the harbour in December. Now that I come to think about it, here is when we had the biggest fuck up of the season, dragging a gennaker under the boat at 11kn and ripping it completely. Check out how the J/80 winter session was like!
Club sailing on Tuesday evenings was real fun as well, with mixed results, although positive ones, at the top of the fleet. Sailing on short courses (under 1h) any error is a big one. Against full crewed yachts the disadvantage in boat and sail handling becomes apparent. We went well on those few Tuesdays when we sailed a coastal course (results 2-2-3), but were inconsistent on windward/leeward courses (results spring 5-10-7 results fall 3-5-1-5). Fortunately a clear improvement during the second part of the year.
The learning curve was very steep and we feel that with the new boat ready, we are now set for an even more fun season ahead.