It all began in an – albeit – different end of the spectrum of boats for Tobias Johnsen. His venture into sailing started in a Hunter 27, and as he quickly grew more fond of racing, his sights turned elsewhere.
- I have been sailing since 2011, so in many ways one could say it’s been a fast-tracked journey to where we are now. My first boat was a Hunter 27, but I found out racing was my call, so I ended up selling it to pursue the dream of having something more racing oriented – essentially what I have today in the Pogo 40.
It did take a big effort for Johnsen to make it happen, though:
- I was very keen to make this dream come true. To the extent of not having my own boat for a few years to secure the funds. Eventually, I made it happen, so I bought the Pogo by the summer of 2020. Not having a boat did, however, not keep me out of the sport. We have a great team in the Norwegian Seilsportsliga, and before we made the call to keep the Pogo in the Med, we raced it weekly up here in Bodø.
And as racing progressed for the then-new Pogo 40-owner, sails also became a theme.
Local connections made Elvstrøm Sails the choice for Tobias Johnsen, who runs a full Elvstrøm Sails wardrobe now.
- Having local support on the sails was a big help from the get-go. One of our local guys got involved with Rigg & Seil, and having this great local support in Bodø made a big difference in the start. Nowadays, we are working more directly with Elvstrøm Sails Norway, but the support and the way we find the right solutions is the same.
The Pogo ended up with a full selection from Elvstrøm Sails. A new EPEX Carbon/Technora mainsail, followed by a genoa and code to suit. And on the downwind side, Johnsen and crew have the full setup of asymmetric spinnakers from Elvstrøm Sails.
Southern Europe - and moving to a different racing scene
Racing in Bodø, just north of the Polar Circle, is a fairly different environment to where Tobias Johnsen and Black Pearl have been racing through the 2025 season as well as the coming one.
Tobias made the move to have it permanently in the Mediterranean to race some of the biggest events in the area. And through 2025, Johnsen and crew have been in the Rolex Mediterranean Race as well as the Aegean 600.
- Up here in Bodø, you can race from the end of April to October – but it’s cold at the outer ends of the season. I did make the call to sail the Med more to get into the big races and long hauls as it has been an ambition of mine for a long time, he says and adds:
- The aspect of the long races has something to it. I can’t point out what it is, but the general idea of making a good result out of your preparations is cool. When you are in the middle of it all, you have the excitement as soon as you gain traction and cut the time difference to the next boat in the class. It’s cool – I mean, we’ve just had our first year in these races, but it’s been great experiences all of them!
Valuable experience
And this is also how 2025 has helped Tobias and his crew to gain much valuable experience in the big races. Experiences, which are set to be put to good use this year as he expects to continue racing in the Mediterranean.
- Through the year that has passed, we have not looked much at the results until now, but we constantly work to optimize and make the most of our experience. It has been great fun through 2025, and we are very keen to do it all again this year, Tobias Johnsen ends.
