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Sailing Insights: Sigmund Hertzberg on the Massive Success of Race to the Arctic
December 27, 2025 · 31 min · 1K views
What this video covers
Sigmund Hertzberg, co-founder and race director of Race to the Arctic, describes how the double-handed offshore regatta grew from a small idea into an 80-boat event drawing six nations, including five German entries.0:12 The race runs four legs in July, starting in Åndalsnes and finishing in Svolvær in the Lofoten Islands, with a stopover in Sandnessjøen chosen for its floating docks, three-meter tidal range, unlimited berth capacity, and airport access for crew changes.20:18 Stad, the notoriously exposed Norwegian headland, must be rounded on the outside, and a 24-nautical-mile offshore limit from the baseline applies throughout.23:56 Svolvær's berth shortage — driven by the Hoka Skyracer event filling every hotel — pushed the finish date to the first week of July.21:27 Hertzberg also traces his own sailing history: a 2014 start on an Elan Marine 410, a move to an X-Yachts X-402 for short-handed racing with Tim, then a Sunfast 3300 syndicate with four Oslo co-owners, and finally a JPK DLR30 — nearly a tonne lighter than the Sunfast — which the team prepared meticulously, keeping the hull in the water for 18 months without lifting, to win the ORC World Championship.2:58 Organizers plan tracking, a media team, and crew-change logistics at Kristiansund airport mid-route.30:11
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