Since registrations opened two weeks ago 22 teams from 10 countries have signed up for the Stockholm Archipelago Raid 2018. The sailors come from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, the USA and of course Sweden.

The Stockholm Archipelago Raid (SAR) continues to attract both pro sailors and adventurous F18 club sailors. Archei Massey (GBR) and Mike McKensie (AUS) are very experienced skiff sailors and World Champions and come to the SAR for the first time. So are the young Australian team with Lucy Nissen (1999) and Jai Tooley (2000) who sail foiling Nacra and F18.

Three French teams registered so far. Pierre Yves Moreau and Benoit Lequin holds transatlantic record in a sport catamaran and have both sailed the “old Archipelago Raid”.
Off-shore sailor Louis Luc has sailed Transat Jacques Vabre many times but will be sailing the SAR for the first time.
Paul Marette and Julien Thys are experienced sailors who sails different kind of boats and have sailed the Martinique Cata Raid together with good results.

Among the Swedish teams is the reigning Raid World champion, the winner of the SAR 2017 Leff Dahl, as well as the winner of SAR 2016, Rasmus Rosengren. Rasmus was the helmsman of Artemis Youth Racing in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup 2017. Other Swedes to look out for are the three times Nordic F18 champions Fredrik Karlsson / Niklas Nordblom who are always in the top squad of the raid. Maybe this year it is their turn to win!

For sure 2018 will be just as competitive as any year before. 8 places are still open out of the maximum 30 and two weeks remains with the Early Bird Fee.

In the first day since registration opened seven nationalities already signed up for the 2018 edition of the Stockholm Archipelago Raid along with Swedish teams from all parts of Sweden. Many teams are coming back year after year, and every year new sailors also sign up for the adventure.

For the first time in some years there will be French teams on the starting line. Pierre Yves Moreau and Benoit Lequin sailed the “old Archipelago Raid” and are now back. Off-shore sailor Louis Luc is coming for the first time.

The youngest team so far is the Australian team with Lucy Nissen (1999) and Jai Tooley (2000) who use to sail foiling Nacra as well as F18 with good results and high ambitions. Hopefully they will be joined by other Youth teams.

Other teams come from the UK, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland and the USA. Clearly this edition will be both as competitive as last year’s and at the same time with lot’s of interesting people who share the love for the sport, nature and adventure. The Stockholm Archipelago Raid.

Picture: Leff Dahl and Roger Bodén nose diving on a windy day of the raid 2016.

The preliminary Notice of Race for the 2018 edition of the Stockholm Archipelago Raid is ready. It will be 4 days of intense sailing among the 36 000 rocks and islands that are the Stockholm Archipelago. The base camp will be on Lökhomen, Sandhamn which is located in the middle of the archipelago with 35 Nm to Söderarm in the North and 45 Nm to Landsort in the South.

Each morning at breakfast there will be a briefing where sailors will get information about Check Points, depending on wind and sea conditions. After a full day of sailing a cold beer in the sauna is a nice warm up before dinner buffet in prepared by our chef in the charming old boat house.

Teams will sleep in cabins on the beautiful island that is just next to sailing hub of Sandhamn. Every hour until 2 AM there is a boat going back and forth for those who wants to hang out with other sailors or take a look at the charming village inhabited all year round.

30 teams will be accepted and registration opens on the 1st of April, first come, first serve.

The event is a non-profit event organised by the Swedish F18-organisation. The entrance fee covers the race, security boats and staff, accomodation, food etc. during the 4 days of sailing. To get more information about the race, logistics or help to plan your visit to Stockholm, don’t hesitate to Contact the Swedish F18 association.

Preliminary programme

The raid takes place from the 22^nd to the 25^th of August 2019. The start and finish line will be outside KSSS in Saltsjöbaden, Stockholm.

• Wednesday 21^st of August:
  15.00 until finished: Registration, measurement and safety inspection
  19.00 Welcome and briefing
• Thursday 22^nd of August
  Start 10.00, 2 legs planned
• Friday 23^rd of August
  2 or 3 legs planned
• Saturday 24^th of August
  2 or 3 legs planned
• Sunday 25^th of August
  Start 9.00 AM, 2 legs
  ~ 16.00 finish in Saltsjöbaden
  ~ 18.00 Price giving ceremony

The sailors will sail from the inner, trough the middle, to the outer parts of the archipelago and back. Usually we sail two legs per day, but sometimes there could be three legs in which case there will be an early start.

The first base camp will be at Lökholmen, Sandhamn. Sandhamn is the sailing metropolis of Stockholm. At the base camp Lökholmen there is a great sauna, good food and party in our own house “Varvet”.

The second basecamp be at Fejan in the very north of the archipelago. The restaurant burned to the ground in 2015 and that was the last time the raid visited this very classical raid base camp. It has been rebuilt and will host us. Fejan has a old hospital which is turnédatum inte a hostel, a sauna and a jetty where the boats will be in the water at night since there is not enough space on land.

Day three the fleet go back south towards Sandhamn allowing for some interesting route choices including rounding the lighthouse Söderarm, the last outpost towards Ålands Archipelago. The base camp this night will be Lökholmen.

The fourth day will be going south to a lunch stop before  the final sprint towards the finish line in Saltsjöbaden.

The Stockholm Archipelago Raid 2018 will take place on the 23-26 of August, 4 days of intense sailing. At the base camp: sauna, food and drinks before the next long day of sailing begins. The course will bring sailors to the outer, arcane rocks and skerries where seals, birds and naked rocks will be their only company.

Registration opens on the 1st of April. Maximum 30 teams will be accepted for logistical and safety reasons.

Filmed at the F18 Raid Worlds 2017, credit to Hamnen.se.

All winners since the first raid in 2001 can be found in the F18 Hall of Fame.

Interview with Lars Linder by Swedish Radio on the 9th of August before start of the final day of racing.

Starting Monday 4th of September Nautical Channel starts broadcasting a 1 hour programme from the F18 Raid Worlds in 42 countries dubbed to 4 languages. The programme captures the spirit of the Stockholm Archipelago Raid in an excellent way. The adventure, the tight racing, the Stockholm archipelago, the social aspects and why F18 is the coolest boat to sail. Watch the trailer.

Tune in on your Local TV networks to get the Channel. During the first week the programme will rotate on the following hours:

The first F18 Raid Worlds 2017 is over, but the Stockholm Archipelago Raid will be back next year.

Congratulations to the F18 Raid World Champions, Leff Dahl and Roger Bodén and to William Sunnucks / Freddie White on second and Elke Delnooz / Jeroen van Leeuwen on third (winners of the Mixed class)! And all the other 24 teams who got around the course and gained an experience out of the ordinary.

700+ fantastic pictures by Jasper van Staveren, on Facebook.

Daily films by Hamnen.se

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Big thanks to our partners and sponsors who made it possible, and of course to all volonteers who worked 24/7 and where completely awesome.

Yet another day with good winds as the fleet sails into the inner parts of the Archipelago to reach the final destination; the city of Stockholm. A puffy story with two legs, the first to the village of Vaxholm and the second a sprint of just over an hour into the city of Stockholm.

See the video.