As 3 weeks remains until the start of the 26th consecutive Archipelago Raid the teams prepare their boats and gear and for navigation in unknown waters.
To date, 16 teams from five countries have registered for the 26th consecutive Archipelago Raid, and a few spots still remain for teams considering joining the adventure. The fleet includes a youth team, three mixed crews, former world champions, Olympic campaign sailors, offshore racers and several previous Archipelago Raid podium finishers.
Among the teams to watch are Victor Silén and Anssi Muikku (Finland), who arrive with strong recent performances at the F18 World Championships and many years of sailing together in the class.
Another Finnish team expected to be in the front is Niki Blässar and Oskari Alho. Blässar is a former Youth World Champion and Olympic campaign sailor, while Alho brings extensive offshore experience from races such as the Fastnet, ARC and Baltic Sea Race.
The youth team of Akseli Orama and Onni Hyttinen (Finland) will also be one to watch. After around ten years in Optimist and ILCA dinghies, they moved into the Formula 18 class and represent the next generation of catamaran sailors.
The Netherlands field two strong teams. The brothers Wik and Rob Becker bring decades of racing experience and several previous Raid appearances to the start line and so does Kees Wiersema and Arthur Moerman (Arthur finished third in the Archipelago Raid 2024)
From Germany, Christian Schütz, a veteran of both the Worrell 1000 and numerous Archipelago Raids, teams up with his daughter Katharina Schütz, creating one of the fleet’s most interesting family partnerships.
Among the Swedish entries, look out for Fredrik Karlsson and Niklas Nordblom three-time Archipelago Raid winners. Peter Busck and Oscar Wersäll also arrive in good form after strong performances at the European Championship earlier in July. And the Raid specialists Lars Linder and Erik Brunnberg, known for thriving in demanding long-distance races and tricky navigation conditions.
| Skipper Name | Crew Name | Sailing for country | Sail no | Sailing Club |
| Akseli orama | Onni Hyttinen | Finland | FIN 007 | Merenkävijät |
| Niki Blässar | Oskari Alho | Finland | FIN 123 | – |
| Samuel Rinnetmäki | Markus Ahonen | Finland | – | Helsingfors Segelklubb (HSK) |
| Victor Silen | Anssi Muikku | Finland | FIN 14 | Ristiinan Pursiseura |
| Valtteri Rahkonen | Antti Laukkanen | Finland | FIN 42 | Helsingfors Segelklubb (HSK) |
| Florian Leuschner | Jan Hansen | Germany | GER 379 | WSV Kollmar |
| Christian Schütz | Katharina Schütz | Germany | GER 340 | STS Surendorf |
| Wik Becker | Rob Becker | Netherlands | NED 2 | WV IJburg |
| Kees Wiersema | Arthur Moerman | Netherlands | NED 901 | Catclub Zeeland |
| Mattias Wallin | Henrik Riccius | Sweden | SWE 017 | Kungliga Segelsällskapet (KSSS) |
| Peter Busck | Oscar Wersäll | Sweden | SWE 64 | Kungliga Segelsällskapet (KSSS) |
| Fredrik Karlsson | Niklas Nordblom | Sweden | SWE 007 | Kungliga Segelsällskapet (KSSS) |
| Erik Blomberg | Rikard Blomberg | Sweden | SWE 137 | Lidingö Jolleseglare (LiJS) |
| Lars Linder | Erik Brunnberg | Sweden | SWE 1 | Kungliga Segelsällskapet (KSSS) |
| Peter Middleton | Dani Middleton | United Kingdom | GBR 511 | Saltash Sailing Club |
| Duncan Barr | Nils Jolliffe | United Kingdom | – | Netley Sailing Club |
ÅSS and the race organisation is ready to welcoming the teams in Mariehamn on the 8th of August
/Lars Linder
Race Manager