THE NEXT LAP · COMING
THE ROARING NORTH SEA — AUTUMN RACE
The next lap. Coming after THE BALTIC LAP finishes in Rīga.
One lap of the North Sea in autumn weather, about 1,800 nautical miles, sailed in real time in the real forecast wind — gales, tides and the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
Every skipper sails the same boat, a 50 ft cruising yacht: faster and heavier than ELEONORA, with more sail to handle when the wind pipes up.
Start and finish off Helgoland. As in the Baltic: join any time — a boat that joins later starts beside the last active skipper. Set her course and sails, close the page: the server sails her on.
⛵ Join the current race now — be ready for the start
THE BALTIC LAP is on now: the same way of racing, the same account, your boat name kept. The skippers who sail it will be at the Helgoland line on day one.
The legs
LEG 1 · Helgoland → Oslo
- Helgoland
- Esbjerg
- Skagen
- Oslo
Along the Danish west coast, round the Skaw and down the Skagerrak into the Oslofjord.
LEG 2 · Oslo → Lerwick
- Oslo
- Bergen
- Lerwick
Back out of the fjord, up the Norwegian coast to Bergen, then across the open North Sea to Shetland.
LEG 3 · Lerwick → Newcastle
- Lerwick
- Aberdeen
- Newcastle
South down the Scottish and English east coast, past the oil fields and the fishing grounds.
LEG 4 · Newcastle → Helgoland
- Newcastle
- the Dover Strait
- IJmuiden
- Helgoland
The long leg: down to the Dover Strait and through its traffic separation scheme with the ships, then east along the Dutch and German coasts home to Helgoland.
The marks and the legs may still be adjusted before the start.
The Dover Strait
The fourth leg takes the fleet through the Dover Strait, the busiest shipping lane in the world, with its traffic separation scheme in force: the ships in their lanes, the ferries across them, and Rule 10 of the COLREGs for everyone. Crossing it well is part of the race.