This weekend the Swedish F18 sailors had their final race for the season – Raid Noir. This years’ edition was the best ever from a sailing perspective, but what everyone will remember is the presence of the Swedish Navy in hunt for the presumed Russian submarine.
The drama began on the lunchstop on Saturday when a couple of teams decided to turn back to base due to the forecast with winds over 30 knots at night. The remaining six teams started with a fantastic half wind leading through a tricky passage with some underwater rocks. One of the teams was unlucky and hit a rock so hard that both hulls where damaged. The security boat was able to assist just before one of the hulls sank under water.
The night stop was great with a good sauna, nice food and great company in a private summer house on a private island. In the morning the heavy rain stopped and the wind dropped to a nice 15-20 knots. The last leg started with a 10 Nautical Mile downwind at full speed. It was an amazing sight to see the 5 colourful gennakers speeding rounding rocks and skerries, but also war ships and smaller combat vessels in hunt for Red October…
Text: Lars Linder
Photos: Max Rehman Linder