Registrations for the Stockholm Archipelago Raid 2021 has begun. There is a cap of 30 teams for safety and logistical reasons. Are you ready to join the adventure?

The base for the event will be KSSS at Saltsjöbaden (1) and the base camps will be Nässlingen (3), Fejan (2) and Lökholmen (4). The race area covers 3000 square kilometres of wilderness with eagles, seals and other wild life just outside the capital of Stockholm. Race course area for the raid 2021

The base camps offer great places to beach the cats (or leave them in the water at Fejan), sauna, restaurant and enough beds or mattresses for all sailors to get a good nights sleep. They are also ideally situated in beautiful places in the archipelago and the alternative courses are endless and each day courses can be optimized for the wind and wave conditions.

Base camp Nässlingen

Base camp Fejan

Base camp Sandhamn/Lökholmen

Welcome to Stockholm in August!

The planning of the Stockholm Archipelago Raid 2021 has been going on for some time and the dates and some base camps are now set! It will take place from the 19th to the 22nd of August with start and finish in Stockholm. Pencil it into your calendar and stay tuned.

In 2020 we were very lucky that the raid was right in the middle of the Covid19 spring outbrake and the second wave in the fall. 15 registered teams still had to bail out, but 20 teams from 4 countries finally made it to start.

The pandemic will not be over by August 2021, but that the situation will most likely be so much better that it will be possible to organize the event with international participation. Probably with similar pre-cautions that we made in 2020 to be on the safe side.

The race course will, as always, go far into the wilderness of the outer archipelago where seals, eagels and other birds and wild life will be our company. There will be plenty of sailing and long distances covered each day, breath taking views, broken dagger boards, nice food and drinks and a possibility to charge the batteries at night.

The registration will start on the 1st of April and a maximum of 30 boats can attend for logistical and safety reasons. I will be there. Will you?

/Lars Linder
Swedish F18 association

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Once again Karlsson and Nordblom managed to snatch the win from the Belge Demesmaeker and Thiery. Karlsson Nordblom sailed very consistent and it didn’t matter that they capsized during the last leg and lost many places.

Demesmaeker and Thiery will probably get a better GPS for next time since the GPS died many times causing them to sail the wrong way.

Seifert and Almstedt had one 3rd and one 1st during the last day while the Dutch team father and son Noordzij hit a rock and lost a dagger in the first race the final day. Finishing 5th in the last race was not enough to get the on the podium.

All sailors where happy and very tired at the finish at Saltsjöbaden. For many it felt like a winner to just make it to the finish without braking anything in the hard conditions during the final 2 days.

The Race Organisation felt like winners too after 4 amazing days in the archipelago with all friends from the F18 community from 4 countries.

Thanks to our partners Goodall design, Zhik, One Design Center and InnTech for making this possible.

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It is a challenge to organize the Stockholm Archipelago Raid not knowing how many teams will come in the end due to the pandemic and different countries travel restrictions changing back and forth. Out of 36 teams that signed up originally, 19 teams seem to make it to the starting line. They are from Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium. The level of competition is, as always, very high with many top teams and several winners from previous years. There are also several rookie teams doing the raid for the first time and a two teams doing a come back for the first time since the old “Archipealgo Raid”.
Confirmed teams 2020/08/12 (subject to national travel restrictions):

Course and Base Camps
The start and goal will be in Saltsjöbaden and the base camps will be on the beautiful Islands of Rånö in the south (one night) and on Lökholmen (Sandhamn) in the middle of the archipelago (two nights). It gives the opportunity to round iconic places like Huvudskär before going north towards Sandhamn on day 2. On day 3 the fleet might reach Rödlöga In the north passing magic islands of the outer archipelago on the way. The aim will be to start early (6 AM) at least one day to be able to reach remote places far from the base camps. Possible course 2020 (for illustration).

Preparation and gear

Coming prepared with the right equipment can often be the difference between making it to the finish line or not. In terms of navigation sailors need to be acquainted with their GPS and be confident that it works in the very wet and difficult conditions of an F18 raid. Mandatory and recommended equipment is listed in the Notice of Race.

Some useful tips to the sailors:
• Bring food for lunch breaks for all 4 days (not catered for) + energy bars or similar to be able to eat while sailing.
• Put your VHF in a cover and have it on the boom.
• Make sure your mobile phone cover is water tight. Make sure that the mobile battery lasts the whole race.
• Bring camel backs with some sport drink and take small sips all the time.
• Make sure you have tested your GPS device and know it works in wet conditions with wet fingers and over extended period of times. Bring an old GPS as a spare in case it breaks.

In addition each sailor is allowed to bring one waterproof bag of maximum 10 kg (typically 30 L) on the assisting boats. One common tool box and spare will also be available on one of the assisting boats.

Covid-19 situation and mitigations

While the virus is spreading quite uncontrolled in the US, Brazil and other places around the world the EU has managed to contain the pandemic quite well. However, a resurgence in new cases has sparked concern in Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, and France among other.
In Sweden cases has continued to decrease steadily since the peak in mid- April when we had over 100 deaths and 1250 new cases per day. Now there are less than 250 new cases daily despite massive testing and no or less than 5 new patients go to intensive care per day in Sweden.

However, the situation changes day by day and the pandemic can pick up speed again. The SAR organisation monitor the situation and will take the following measures to prevent the spreading of the virus during the raid.
• Maximum 50 persons are allowed, Race Committee and Media excluded.
• Breifings / gatherings will be limited and courses published online etc.
• Dinner and breakfast served in tents at Rånö and the large boat house Slipen at Lökholmen.
• Max 2 teams share a room (the same teams all days)
The participants
• If you get ill or show symptoms of Covid-19 you should withdraw from the race.
• Limit your contacts with people outside your family prior to the race.
• Make a travel plan for how to get to the race and back home safely.
• Spread out and keep some distance to other people during dinner / breakfast
• Avoid using showers or go at different times. The sea is always nearby.
• Sailors should complete the World Sailing Personal Location Form.

With these measures the Stockholm Archipelago Raid will be carried out in a safe and responsible way. Because once the sailors has left shore only the race, the stunning nature and the adventure will be on their mind for 4 long, lovely days. That’s what F18 is all about…

Lars Linder

Status update

I just received some wonderful news from the Swedish Sailing Federation. The way they interpret the new Covid-19 guidelines from the Swedish authorities is that the Stockholm Archipelago Raid will be allowed to have 50 competitors, i.e. excluding the Race Committee. The Notice of Race will be updated accordingly and published at a later stage together with a Covid-19 safety plan based on the risk assessment and mitigations.

For the time being there are 27 teams who has said that they would like to come as long as it will be possible. They are from from the following 7 countries NOR (2), FIN (2), DEN (1), BEL (1), NED (2), GER (3) and SWE (16). Since there are still travel restrictions to or from Sweden from some of these countries a few foreign teams are uncertain if they will be able to come in the end.

What this means

All teams that have signed up to date shall pay the entry fee prior to the 1^st of July (if they haven’t already) if they want to be certain to claim their place and to get the “early bird fee”. After the 1^stof July the entry fee increases by 2000 SEK. 

The special reimbursement rules due to the pandemic applies (see NoR)

1.      If a non-Swedish team has paid the entry fee but is not able to participate due to special rules due to Covid-19 that prevents the team from travelling (closed borders, quarantine-rules etc) the whole amount minus bank fees will be reimbursed. 
Important: If the situation is such that you would like to come, but only if your National authorities changes the current rules regarding travelling to/from Sweden, then you shall contact me and explain the situation prior to paying the entry fee.

2.      If a sailor has symptoms that can be suspected Covid-19 (cough, fever, difficulty breathing, runny or blocked nose, sore throat, headache, nausea, muscle or joint pain) he/she is not allowed to participate and shall immediately (on the same day) inform the event organisation. The entry fee minus 2000 SEK will be reimbursed.

The plan

The planning for the event will be much easier from now on and as soon as possible after the 1^st of July I will confirm the number of beds needed, how big the race organisation need to be, how many security boats will be needed etc.  Since we are fewer teams than usual there might be beds for most teams even if we have to spread out and be fewer in each room.

This year we plan to go south. Far south. The preliminary base camps for Thursday and Friday will be Rånö in the Southern Archipelago. Depending on the weather we might go to the beaches of Askö or round the inhabited island Öja (Landsort) which we did last in the raid in 2012. Or, if the winds are to strong we can sail further north, sheltered by the islands Utö, Ornö etc. On the third night we will stay at Lökholmen which is an iconic venue for all sailors and perfectly situated both for the 3^rd and 4^th days of sailing. We had a very nice 3 days practice raid this weekend in the waters around Sandhamn and it was an awesome experience with 10-18 knots of warm winds, amazing sailing and amazing food outdoors on the rocks. See the Swedish F18 association facebook page or the Relive track from one leg for inspiration. Thanks to Gustaf Dyrssen and Fredrik Karlsson for organizing, now we know for sure that raid sailing is both possible, safe and fun also during a pandemic.

Best regards

Lars Linder

Due to the pandemic changes have been made to the Stockholm Archipelago Raid to mitigate the risks and to be able to safely keep the distance to other teams. Sailors will sleep in tents and meals will probably be served outdoors, like it used to be the early days of Archipelago Raid. But the race will stay in Sweden and the trip to Åland is postponed to 2021. As a consequence the raid will be shortened to 4 days instead of 5 and starts on the 20th of August. An updated Notice of Race is published.

The 20th raid will be the same adventure and awesome sailing in the Stockholm Archipelago as every year. But changes has been made to adopt to the new normal.

A maximum number of teams are allowed to participate for security and logistical reasons. The maximum number of teams is 30. However, in order to limit the Covid-19 virus from spreading, the Swedish authorities allows gatherings of maximum 50 people (as of 2020-05-01). Since a minimum of 10 people is required for the Race Organisation it means that the maximum number of teams is 20, unless the authorities will allow bigger gatherings. The decision whether 20 or 30 teams will be allowed depends solely on the recommendations and rules by the Swedish authorities and can be changed as late as up to the registration day 2020-08-19.

For now 30 teams from 8 countries have signed up, but due to the lock downs and travet restrictions there is still a chance for sailors on the waiting list to enter. Sign up here. The early bird fee has been prolonged to the first of July since that might clarify what rules and recommendations will apply in different countries. The entry fee will be reimbursed for teams that will not be able to participate due to special rules due to Covid-19 that prevents the team from travelling to/from Sweden (closed borders, quarantine-rules etc).

The crossing of Ålands sea will be postponed to 2021. The raid will stay among the 36 000 islands and skerries on the Swedish side and stop for the night on some remote, beautiful island.

While you take a shower and raise the tent on the spot of your choice, dinner is prepared on the mobile kitchen of the transport vessel. After a well deserved meal and a glass of wine or two at the camp fire you make some final preparations on the boat to be ready for the early start next day. As the sun sets and the air get chilly you make sure the GPS, VHF and mobile are charging and go to your tent under the pine tree and tuck in to the sound of the forest and the waves.

It will be a different raid in some sleeping in tents and waiting outdoors, but the stunning wilderness of the archipelago and the fantastic sailing is the same. We are going back to the roots of raid sailing.

The Stockholm Archipelago Raid is set to take place on the 19^th to 23^rd of August according to plan. 30 teams signed up in 10 days. Precautions will be made to safeguard sailors and race officials from Covid-19. If the pandemic gets worse in the months to come and we are advised not to carry on even with safety measures the raid could however be cancelled at a later stage.

30 teams from 8 countries

10 days after registrations begun the 1^st of March 30 teams had already signed up. Then the Corona shit hit the fan and only one team has signed up since. The following teams from 8 countries have signed up and are welcome to join the raid in 2020. Registration fees will be reimbursed in case the raid has to be cancelled or if a team cannot join due to lock down, closed borders or similar.

Covid-19 situation in Sweden

Covid-19 is a humanitarian and economic catastrophy with over 100 000 dead so far (900 of which in Sweden) and a huge impact on people’s lives and the economy in every country on the planet. In Sweden, like in almost all other countries in the world, the strategy is to take counter measures to control the outbreak, to protect elderly people and to “flatten the curve” to allow the health care system cope with the number of patients who needs intensive care and ventilator treatment. We think this strategy must go on until about 60% of the population has had the virus so it is going to be a long-distance endurance race, not just a couple of laps around the buoys. Unlike other European countries though, day care and primary schools in Sweden have remained opened and even restaurants can carry on as long as the tables are separated enough and there are no servings at the bar. Gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, but it is strongly advised to postpone festivities and to use common sense when gathering that many people. There is a lot of trust in people from the authorities and vice versa.

Safety and contingency planning

It is a big enterprise to organise the raid during normal circumstances and it is kind of overwhelming not to know if there will be 30 teams from all over the world or only 15 Swedish teams or no raid at all. But in these extraordinary times we shall not throw in the towel too soon. After all, there is no better place to be in the world during a pandemic than out on an F18 in the Stockholm and Åland Archipelagos.

Different options to safeguard the race officials and the sailors is being investigated. Keeping distance is very easy during racing but trickier during briefings, meals and sleep. Maybe all teams will have to sleep in their own tents instead of cabins and meals will be eaten outside around the camp fire in a true raid spirit. The aim is to make the 20^th raid in the Stockholm Archipelago as memorable and spectacular as ever before.

There are different scenarios for what might happen in 4 months, but all of them are based on the assumption that the pandemic will still be ongoing with a very high number of patients in intensive care in Sweden and all around the world, that there is no “heard immunity” and no vaccine to protect us.Some of the raid sailors will have had Covid-19 but can’t be sure since they haven’t been tested and some won’t.

1. The best scenario is that countries around Europe willease up the lock downs and open the borders between the countries, also to/from Finland making it possible to sail to Åland and back. In this case the raid will take place from the 19^th to 23^rd of August according to plan.
2. Another scenario is that most of the borders remain closed for tourist travels making it impossible for most foreign teams to come to Sweden. In this case the plan is to make a raid from the 21^st to 23^rd of August for the Swedish sailors. Any foreign sailors who manage to get to Sweden (and back) are more than welcome of course.
3. The worst scenario is that the Swedish authorities find it necessary to forbid gatherings of more than a few people. In this case the raid will be postponed until 2021. This scenario is the least likely though.

Personally, I believe in Scenario A.

Keep calm and carry on sailing.

/Lars Linder
on behalf of the Swedish F18 Association