Last week the Royal Lymington Yacht Club hosted the UK Folkboat Association International Regatta welcoming all International Nordic Folkboat sailors for the Folkboat National Championship and Walcon Cup 17th and 18th September, followed by the Sessan Cup 19th to 22nd September 2022.
Despite unseasonal and challenging light winds both series managed to run, although Tuesday’s racing had to be cancelled for lack of wind and Wednesday’s racing was held in the West Solent due to the light winds, but otherwise the competitors managed to race in the excellent waters of Christchurch Bay.
The racing proved to be very tactical in the prevailing light conditions, with some major wind shifts over the mile long Windward/Leeward courses. As a general rule, the Danes showed the Brits how to get the best from a Nordic Folkboat in the light conditions. They occupied most of the top positions in the final scores.
Congratulations to the winners:
Walcon Cup winner: Rio, Anders Sunke
UK National Champion winner: Double OO, Simon Osgood
Sessan Cup winners: Emma - Jens Thuroe and Cirkeline - Soren Kaestal
Competitors embraced the conditions to enjoy some excellent racing. The events showcased the enthusiasm, skill and dedication of the organisers, both afloat and ashore, and we would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved.
Event photographer Paul French said "It was challenging to get those popular action shots like broaching, capsizes and pitch poling as the winds were unseasonably light. However, it's clear from the competitors' smiles in the photos that everyone enjoyed themselves immensely."
About the Sessan Cup
The Sessan Cup is one of the oldest international Folkboat regattas. Together with the Gold Cup and the San Francisco Cup, it is one of the major international contests in the Folkboat class. The event goes back to 1952, when it was staged in Göteborg for the very first time.
The name derives from the Sessan ferry line between Sweden and Denmark, who sponsored the first event. All the ferries were named after princesses; “Sessan” in Swedish is short for “the Princess”. The original owner of the Sessan Line, Ulf Trapp was a Folkboat enthusiast and had three Nordic Folkboats.
Recently, the venue has alternated between Scandinavia and Germany. The last Sessan Cup event was held at Berlin Wannsee in 2014.
The British Bid
2022 is the 80th anniversary of the Nordic Folkboat, and the UK Folkboat Association put forward a bid to hold the Sessan Cup in the UK to mark this anniversary. This would be the first time the event had left the Baltic States.