Elliott News

Congratulations Henri Bokay & crew on winning the 2024 Gotlund Runt. We hear from the crew on how the race went.
After the victory at round Skagen, it was great that the Rafale team achieved another unexpected success for us with this "old lady" and delivered an almost flawless race with impressive navigation and very good boat handling. Third place in the Line Honours at almost 160 boats and victory in our ORC A group after calculated time is a great achievement. For Team Rafale, however, it is not only sailing, but also primarily the Team Spirit, which counts for owner Henri de Bokay and the team that has consistently developed since 2021. In the races of the 2024 season, a lot of things just fit very well, I replace the result of one of consistent work and heart blood and commitment in the team. Of course we then enjoyed the party in the clubhouse and the sunrise Rafale styleA perfect ending to a pretty awesome race! 

Race report:Shortly before the start in Sandhamn it looked gloomy with rain and hail, but we set off punctually for the start with 6-8 knots of wind. Our team caught a near-perfect start in the top third of the line, just above our competition, the Infinity52.
After an intensive start, we were able to take the first cross behind UCA the legendary 78-ft Knierim-yacht. The two-hour reach to the northern point went smoothly. We successfully defended our second position at this point, holding  off much larger yachts.

After the northern turning point, it was then into a long semi-wind reach towards the southern tip of Gotland, where the winds blew up to 30 knots and fronts with rain and squalls. We set the code zero and reached constant speeds of 16-17 knots, with peaks over 20 knots. Wind & rain picked up. After about an hour we were able to overtake UCA and lead the field for the next 2-3 hours.
During the night we were overtaken by the 70  footer which was on its way to a new race record. When the course to the south became spicier, we switched from Code Zero to J3. Just before the southeast end of Gotland, Ran overtook us. Heading north along the west side of Gotland we set the kite and had to pass a tight turn mark in Visby Bay as our code zero was damaged. Despite some uncertainties, we were able to hold the A2+. The final section was a nice reach at 15-18 knots with triple head setup. We crossed the finish line as the third boat and winner of all boats on Tuesday evening, just in time for the gorgeous Swedish sunset.