Thomas Nielsen from Yachtsport Eckernförde took part in the Aalregatta from Kiel to Eckernförde in his Saare 41ac, which is a genuine cruiser. Nevertheless he came in as number 7 out of 131 participants and within the “yardstick mit Spi” and over all he won the race.

7th of 131

The only yachts earlier in were some real Racers, JV 49 All for One, GP 42 El Pocko,  IMX 40,  Corby 38, First 36.7 and the big Swan 56 Chrila.

“We didn´t expect this rather heavy Saare41ac is able to go so fast in so light wind, taking off with just 9 knots. And I do believe it was quite a surprise to a lot of the competitors.  We´ve often experienced how uncomplicated it is to sail the Saare41ac when winds are strong, even above 45 knots. 

The sails for our Saare41ac worked very well. We´ve chosen EPEX sails for our Saare41ac 3 years ago. To us this has been a very good decision since the sails have proven its performance in combination with durability and easy handling. Spinnakers are great too, again better than the ones we got for our former Dufour 40 few years ago“, Thomas explains.

Fact about the Aalregatta


The Aalregatta is the oldest regatta in Germany. The Aalregatta 2014 was a great succes with 131 participating yachts. A regatta that is targeted not just the big regattas/racers but also smaller family crews and cruisers.