GULLVIVERALLYT 2023
In this year's Gullviverally, we sailed for the first time in many years with the original crew, Team Luffa – that is, David, Marcus, Petter, and me. The kids had to sit this one out, as it was all about "old man’s sailing" this time around!
The first leg offered brilliant sunshine, light and favorable winds, and we had a great start just off Getfoten. However, in light winds, anything can happen, and it wasn’t long before we got stuck and were overtaken by several Smaragd boats.
But when we reached Oxdjupet, we had a smooth passage with few tacks, and soon we were back in the lead. The winds grew lighter and trickier, and we ultimately decided to go west of Tisterön before rounding toward Saxarfjärden. To our surprise, out of nowhere, Huxflux came charging inside Tisterön at full speed, passing us in their wake! Gryning and Mah Jong did the same. Hmm...
After that, Huxflux sailed like a train, finishing an impressive third overall and first in the Smaragd class. We crossed the line second out of a total of six Smaragd boats.
Once we arrived at Gränholmen, there was a prize ceremony followed by a quiz walk. Afterward, we grilled hamburgers, as we always do on the first day – that’s a tradition. I even managed to squeeze in a run on Gällnö before dinner.
The next morning, the wind had picked up significantly, which suited us perfectly. We had a decent start in the second row, but it didn’t take long before we were leading the class, closely followed by Huxflux. Many other boats struggled to keep their spinnakers up on the way to Storholmen, west of Möja, but we sailed through it without issues.
After Storholmen, we tacked south once more and made solid progress across Kanholmsfjärden. In the end, we crossed the line seventh overall for the day, which, after recalculating, placed us third overall! That was exciting! This also put us in first in the Smaragd class, with Huxflux in second and Santana in third.
For dinner, we had entrecôte with tabbouleh – yet another tradition on day two, as inevitable as brushing our teeth!
On the third day, the wind was once again light and southerly. We decided not to set the spinnaker at the start, and that turned out to be the right choice. Progress was slow in the light winds, and at first, it was mostly a straight run, but by Kalken, we finally had a few tacks to make.
The final stretch towards the finish line at Biskopsön required our full focus as we worked to find the best lines along the edges of the fjord and keep the boat moving. We had a long duel with a Carrera on the left side, but unfortunately, they managed to pass us at the line. The winds weren’t in our favor today, and we got stuck in the light breeze. Huxflux impressed once again, finishing eleventh overall and first in the Smaragd class. We had to settle for third place today.
Once we were safely in port at Koxviken, we washed down tthe day’s less-than-ideal result with champagne and snacks. After all, it was my 50th birthday! What a way to celebrate!
The cockpit was buzzing with happy sailors from all sides, and the mood couldn’t have been better! What a fantastic way to celebrate my 50th birthday, surrounded by dear friends and fellow sailors!
In the evening, we had the prize ceremony followed by the traditional shrimp feast atop the hill in Koxviken. The sun was shining brightly, and the weather couldn’t have been better!
As so many times before, the final day brought light winds. It’s strange how often this happens on this leg. Unfortunately, there were no "Smaragd winds" today either, so our result wasn’t one to boast about – a stumbling fourth place in the Smaragd class. But we crossed the finish line, which is more than can be said for some others. A huge congratulations to Berndt and the crew on Huxflux, who took first among the class and fifth overall!
