CONVOY CUP NORTH SEA RALLY

Races for sailing yachts have been organized between Norway and Scotland since 1984. The first race was called the North Sea Yacht Race and was going between the south west coast of Norway and MacDuff. From 2009 Stord Seilforening and Karmøy Seiforening has organized the Convoy Cup North Sea Race from Karmøy to the Orkney Islands.

 

The Shetland Race is another offshore race going from Bergen to Shetland. This race was started in 1986 and is still going strong.

 

The North Sea Yacht Race was conceived in early 1984 as a way for a group of Scottish sailors to safely cross the North Sea. The idea quickly grew and on 2 July 1984 twenty-two yachts from Scotland, England and Norway headed out across the North Sea for Stavanger. Since then, the race grew from strength to strength with as many as 50 yachts taking part in some years. The start alternated between Scotland and Norway giving the event a unique attraction for entrants from both sides of the North Sea. Most competitors took the opportunity to cruise the Norwegian fjords or go through the Caledonian Canal before returning home.

 

The race record between Macduff and Stavanger is held by Skaarungen, a Wasa 50 ft monohull . Their elapsed time of 30 hours 44 minutes was set in 1998 in an east-bound direction. The fastest west-bound crossing was made by Undarousa, a 45 ft trimaran from Oslo in 31 hours and 9 minutes in 2001.  In 2007, the race started in Skudeneshavn, approximately 12 miles closer to Macduff than Stavanger, and Hei Matau, a 36ft trimaran  from Port Edgar, Edinburgh, made the crossing in just under 29 hours.

 

In 2009, the Convoy Cup North Sea Race headed for Mainland on the Orkneys. This race also included a tradition of honoring the warsailors from the second world war. The sailors got a warm welcome in Kirkwall by Orkney Sailing Club and the Norway Orkney Friendship Association.

 

The Convoy Sailors Club believe that it's possible to engage more of the increasing number of sailing yachts cruising along the North Sea coasts to join offshore racing. This requires a transfer of knowledge from experienced sailors to potentially new offshore racing skippers and crew members.

 

More effort is required to make this happen. The Convoy Sailors Club will engage themselves for this and for strengthening the bonds between sailors from all North Sea coastlines.