North Sailing team at RumRegatta in Flensburg

This winter on his visit to Húsavík, polar explorer Arved Fuchs invited North Sailing to participate with him and his Dagmar Aaen crew during the RumRegatta festival in Flensburg.

It was an offer that was too good to turn down so North Sailing sent 4 men to go onboard Dagmar Aaen where she had just undergone major maintainance work in a unique shipyard in Egernsund, Denmark. The next day Dagmar sailed to Sonderborg in nice brease under full sails doing 5-6 knots all the way. Over there, most of the participating boats gathered for the night to have a little pre-party and the day after all the boats sailed together to Flensburg where the actual RumRegatta festival takes place.

The RumRegatta, held for the 19th time this year, is a festival celibrating Flensburg as an old Rum trading town and honouring old sailing vessels of all kinds.  Almost 100 vessels took part this time ranging from 10 meter long one mast vessels up to 30 meter long three mast schooners. It was an honour for the North Sailing team to be onboard Dagmar Aaen. The 18 meter long cutter, built in Esbjerg in 1931 has circumnavigated the world and achieved with Arved and his crew more than most vessels. For example passing both the Northwest and the Northeast passage without the help of icebreakers.

On the day of the RumRegatta itself there was very little wind so unfortunately there was not much of a real sailing but still the feeling of gliding silently through the water with all these magnificent sailing ships around was something that 21st century people from Iceland don’t get to experience every day.

After a fantastic weekend on board the lovely Dagmar Aaen with Arved Fuchs, his vife Brigitte and other good friends from the crew there were 4 guys returning to Húsavík with a big smile on their faces.

It can truly be said that for people intersted in old traditional boats, sailing vessels in particular, the RumRegatta in Flensburg is a heaven.

Heimir Harðarson