Sailing | A serious warning about Russian warships for the participants of the sailing competition from Helsinki

from Helsinki sailors participating in the Royal Ocean Racing Club competition starting on Saturday have been warned of possible encounters with Russian warships in the Baltic Sea.

The matter was told at an information session organized for the captains in Helsinki on Friday, the captain of the Tulikettu Redkik Racing boat Arto Linnervuo confirm.

The Russian Navy celebrates its anniversary on Sunday. Related events are also organized in the Baltic Sea.

Competitors are advised to closely monitor common radio frequencies where they can communicate to each other about possible danger situations. If the course of the boat needs to be changed, competitors must do so quickly and clearly.

“Yes, this is the first time that we have to think about things like this when racing,” Linnervuo updates.

Possible the encounter between the warships has caused concern among competitors.

“As the skipper of the boat, I am responsible for the safety of the entire crew,” says Linnervuo.

“It’s always a challenge with warships that you can’t communicate with them, like for example with merchant ships, with a VHS radio. We often talk to merchant ships, tell them the direction and speed, in order to avoid dangerous situations, especially at night.”

According to Linnervuo, it is customary to avoid even big ships in sailing competitions, but there is a big difference between warships and merchant ships that have AIS transmitters, where you can see how they are moving and in which direction.

“Warships, on the other hand, do not send signals, but drive in the dark, so to speak. It can cause challenges, especially at night. Many racing boats also don’t have their own radar that could be used to detect a warship,” Linnervuo points out.

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As the skipper of the boat, I am responsible for the safety of the entire crew.

Safety in addition, a possible encounter with a warship can also affect the results of the competition.

“If you suddenly have to turn the course by 20 degrees, it may cause the boat to no longer have the right sails and the conditions for driving in the other direction may be worse. Going around also increases the distance traveled,” says Linnervuo.

However, Linnervuo mentions that in the end it’s just about racing sailing.

“We are thinking about the situation in Ukraine, and if we have to suffer from this, it cannot even be talked about in the same sentence compared to the suffering caused in the war.”

Warships in addition, the organizers of the competition have also warned the participants about the storm that is about to form in the Baltic Sea. Winds of 20 m/s and waves of four meters can be expected.

“We are used to harsh conditions,” says Linnervuo.

RORC is one of the world’s largest open sea sailing series. There are more than 40 teams from several different countries.

The route of the competition goes from Helsinki to Stockholm, going around Gotland and passing the Estonian Saaremaa and Hiidenmaa back to Helsinki. The competition lasts about three days.

The Helsinki competition starts on Saturday at 12 o’clock.