Tanis von der Mosel Race

Under the name Tanis von der Mosel Race, the KYC’s new offshore long-distance race kicked off shortly before Kieler Woche. The route led from Kiel around nearly all of the Danish Baltic Sea islands—Bornholm, Christiansø—through the Sund, around Læsø, and through the Little Belt back to Kiel. Although the number of entries fell short of expectations, this did nothing to dampen the participants’ enthusiasm.

Sponsor Ben Tanis made sure to provide excellent catering before the start. So, the evening before, the finest fare was served to skippers and crew in the Kaisersaal. Nothing was missing. It had been a long time since anyone had experienced anything like it, and thoughts of that meal kept participants awake long into the night as they ate instant soup from a packet in the days that followed.

Although twelve seaworthy yachts were at the start after a few last-minute cancellations, the fierce westerly wind further decimated the field. A broken mast on the “OM” from Flensburg, torn sails on the “Vineta” and the “Alma Roberta 2,” and severe seasickness on the “Blue Chip” forced them to retire. The eventual winner, the “Rafale,” nearly met the same fate when one of its headsails went overboard. An immediate maneuver, reminiscent of a man-overboard rescue, managed to prevent the loss. Then she raced on toward victory.

Off Christiansø, the fleet slowed down. A long reach lay ahead with headwinds of up to 30 knots. It was quite an achievement that even smaller yachts managed to get through it. After 69 hours, the “Rafale”—an Elliot 52SS owned by Henri de Bokay and helmed by Klaas Höpke—was back at the finish line off Düsternbrook. A good day later, the “Sakura”—Thomas Reinecke’s JND 39—followed, and the next night, the Swan 57 “Kairos” with a crew from ASV Munich led by Dr. Philip Wenzel. Soon after came the yachts from the second scoring group: “Skuum,” “Diva,” and “Majo,” which ultimately had to battle their way home through a light-wind cross. Nothing was handed to anyone on a silver platter. Thanks to our social media coverage (over 300,000 clicks!) and the many humorous posts from on board the yachts, viewers could experience both the fun and the hardships firsthand. Sponsor Ben Tanis and mastermind Ecki von der Mosel made it a point to personally welcome every arriving yacht, day and night, greeting them with the “Finisher” sign and a celebratory beer. Special applause went to the “Plastique,” the Dufour 325GL owned by Aimo Kraska (SVK), which, although it missed the time limit of just over 6 days by three hours, was nonetheless received with enthusiasm and respect by everyone!

Unanimous comments from the sailors at the finish: “That was great,” “We’ll spread the word,” “Let’s do that again.” So it’s no surprise that the sponsor and regatta organizers at the KYC and POS quickly agreed: We’re holding the Tanis von der Mosel Race again. On Saturday, June 12, 2027!

RESULTS