Last night for Bermuda-Hamburg leaders

(July 17, 2018) – The last chapter of the Atlantic Anniversary Regatta’s final leg, the 3500nm Bermuda to Hamburg Race, finds the transatlantic rivalry between Jens Kellinghusen’s Canting Keel Ker56 Varuna VI and Boris Herrmann’s IMOCA 60 Malizia – Yacht Club Monaco remains in full swing. With less than 300nm to sail for the two top favourites, the battle on the water is pivoting with their fight for Line Honours (currently led by Malizia) and in IRC Zero after corrected time (currently led by Varuna).

“We are side to side with Varuna since Land’s End,” said Malizia’s skipper Boris Herrmann. “Fighting with all we have…”. Since seeing first land again at the aforementioned Land’s End, both crews have passed the English Channel, the North of France, the coast of Belgium, and are currently making about 12 to 13 knots boat speed in similar wind speeds of the North Sea, near The Hague in The Netherlands.

After crossing the finish line in Cuxhaven tomorrow, which is a seaside town on Germany’s North Sea coast, they will continue their voyage and make their way down the Elbe River to urban city metropolis Hamburg.

Race details – Entry list – Tracker – Facebook

Background: The Atlantic Anniversary Regatta (AAR) is part of the grand celebrations for the 150th anniversary for the Norddeutsher Regatta Verein (NRV) in Hamburg, Germany. Starting July 8, the 3500nm Bermuda to Hamburg Race is the final offshore race of the regatta series for the AAR, following on from the 2900nm RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Grenada. The AAR is the first ever offshore series crossing the Atlantic Ocean in both directions.

Source: Louay Habib