A Race They'll Never Forget
- Søren Ilsø Mahneke
- Apr 22
- 2 min read
Andreas, Tobias and Johan took on one of northern europes greatest sailing challenges Garmin Round Denmark Race in 2025, a race they will never forget, in Itsi Bitsi a Farr 727.
"We got off to a smooth start, with no major drama,” the crew recalled afterwards — and for a while, it seemed the race would unfold exactly as they had hoped.
Early on, they quickly set the gennaker on starboard tack, settling into a strong rhythm almost from the beginning. Out by Slætterhage, the wind turned in their favour, and suddenly the course north opened up perfectly. “We could stay on starboard all the way north,” skipper Andreas said, with the gennaker carried aft of the beam as the boat surged on toward Skagen.
For mile after mile, everything came together. “It was going really well all the way toward Skagen,” Andreas remembered. The boat was moving fast, the conditions were working with them, and there was every reason to believe they were in for a great passage.
But as so often at sea, the story changed without warning.
During the race, Johan was struck by seasickness. There was no real choice but to alter course and head into Sæby to put him ashore. It was an interruption, but not yet the end of the fight. As soon as they could, Andreas and Tobias hurried back out and continued toward Skagen, determined to stay in the race.
The two remaining crew of Itsi Bitsi rounded the mark — but on the far side of it, the conditions turned sharply against them.
“Afterwards, we had the wind right on the nose and big swells,” Andreas said. The mood onboard shifted. What had felt manageable and flowing now became punishing. The boat slammed into the waves, leaping and crashing as it pushed forward. “The boat was bouncing around, there was massive pressure on the helm, and it was difficult to steer properly.”
Then came another blow: Tobias also became seasick.
That was the moment the decision had to be made. Hard as it was, they chose to retire from the race and head toward Strandby instead. It was the right decision — but no less disappointing for that.
And then, as if the sea wanted to underline the point, the final challenge arrived on the way in.
They were caught in a violent thunderstorm, with rain falling so heavily that visibility almost disappeared. “The rain was so dense that we could barely see the bow,” Andreas said. In those final miles toward shelter, the race had long since become something else entirely: not a competition, but an exercise in judgement, endurance, and respect for the conditions.
It was, as they put it themselves, “mega frustrating to have to stop” — but also “still a wild experience we won’t forget anytime soon.”
Some races are remembered for results. Others stay with you because they test you in entirely different ways.
This was one of those races.
And the final lesson? “Next time, we’re packing seasickness tablets.
Registration is open for sailors ready to join the challenge. Enter here and get 10% off with the code GRDR10OFF:
Comments