GULLVIVERALLYT 2024
Finally, the day had come – the 2024 edition of Gullviverallyt! This year, David and I sailed with our girls once again. After a long and cold winter, we were really excited. The weather started off a bit gloomy, but soon we were promised plenty of sunshine and perfect winds.
It had been raining all day, but luckily, the rain stopped just as we set sail on Wednesday evening. Despite that, it was still quite chilly, so it was a relief to get inside the warmth of restaurant at Getfoten when we finally arrived late that night.
DAY 1
The first day was a bit overcast with very light winds, so the race organizers decided to delay the start by an hour and move the starting line north of Oxdjupet. Gullviverallyt features a pursuit start, meaning the fastest boat starts last, and vice versa. We had an okay start, and the spinnaker was hoisted right away.
The sailing could have gone better, but we managed to climb to 14th place overall, and 2nd in the Smaragder class, just behind Hux Flux. Once we arrived at Gränholmen, there was a prize ceremony, a quiz walk, and, as always at Gränholmen, we grilled hamburgers! The girls had a great time and quickly made friends on land. The highlight was that, for the first time, they wanted to join in a bit during the actual race!
DAY 2
The next day, the sun was shining, and the wind was expected to pick up considerably—perfect conditions for us Smaragde sailors! This time, we had a much better start, only a second or two behind the line. Hux Flux (the yellow Smaragd), sailing with a smaller spinnaker and a genoa instead of a jib, started a couple of minutes ahead of us. But it didn’t take long before we were right on their heels.
After passing Storholmen to the west of Möja, we had a perfect broad reach southward across Kanholmsfjärden, and little by little, we began closing the gap on Hux Flux. But Santana was right behind us as well, so there was no room to relax.
We rounded Hasselkobben as the first Smaragd, then tacked our way up toward Skötkobben. The wind was blowing around 7 m/s, and soon we could count the boats ahead of us on one hand. However, Hux Flux and Santana were hot on our heels.
We finished as the first Smaragd and the 7th boat overall, and after the time calculations, we ended up 5th in the keelboat category! Such an exciting race, and what a fantastic day it turned out to be!
We enjoyed a lovely evening in the sun on Lökholmen. The girls had a sauna and hung out with the juniors on Imbruglia, while David and I relaxed on the rocks with the rest of the Smaragd crews.
DAY 3
Once again, light winds were on the agenda, and both the start time and starting line were moved a bit south of Sandhamn. Since the start was through a narrow strait, and we suspected it would get crowded upwind near the starting boat, we decided to go for a port tack start. Bad choice! Unfortunately, we misjudged the wind, and there was significantly more breeze along the shore upwind. As a result, we fell behind quite a bit at the start and found ourselves at the back of the Smaragd fleet for quite some time.
But slowly but surely, we started catching up with other boats. Halfway to the finish, we passed Malla and Mah Jong, but Santana made a brilliant move, taking an entirely different route, and ended up finishing second, just behind Hux Flux, who sailed much better with their genoa in the light wind.
We finished third, behind Hux Flux and Santana, which we were pretty happy with given the circumstances. We’ll save the overall results for another time. Definitely not Smaragd weather today. ;) Berndt and the guys on Hux Flux sailed in strong, finishing 5th of the entire fleet that day. Really impressive!
The final evening was, as usual, a “räkfrossa” (shrimp feast) up on the highest peak in Koxviken, Biskopsön. We had a lovely evening, and the girls had a great time with the other kids.
DAY 4
The final day brought lighter winds, and it was really slow on Biskopsfjärden after the start. The wind was initially from the north, and we knew it would shift to the southeast, so we decided to stick to the left and take the wind head-on, which turned out to be a smart move (thanks, David). We managed to overtake a lot of boats there, but Hux Flux, who had started a bit earlier, was still ahead of us.
After rounding Torkorna, we set the spinnaker again, and we weren’t far behind Hux Flux. We rounded Tallkobben, and from there, it was almost a straight shot north to the finish. For some reason, though, Hux Flux and several other boats chose to sail out on the western side, taking a considerable detour. Halfway up, we managed to pass Hux Flux and glided across the finish line as the first Smaragd. It was incredibly exciting and a fantastic way to wrap up the Gullviverally!
This year’s Gullviverally was an absolute highlight. The weather was perfect. Sure, it could’ve been windier, but what made it extra special was how much the girls enjoyed it. For the first time, they showed real interest in the racing itself and wanted to get involved and learn. That bodes well for the future!
We finished 2nd among the Smaragds and 10th overall in the keelboat category, which we’re happy with considering the light winds. A huge congratulations to Berndt and the crew on Hux Flux, who won among the Smaragds and placed 4th overall!
And a big thank you to the Tidner family and everyone else involved, who make this event such a highlight every year. You’re absolutely priceless!