Sessan Cup
Background
The Sessan Cup is one of the oldest international Folkboat regattas. Together with the Gold Cup and the San Francisco Cup, it is one of the major international contests in the Folkboat class. The event goes back to 1952, when it was staged in Göteborg for the very first time.
The name derives from the Sessan ferry line between Sweden and Denmark, who sponsored the first event. All the ferries were named after princesses; “Sessan” in Swedish is short for “the Princess”. The original owner of the Sessan Line, Ulf Trapp was a Folkboat enthusiast and had three Nordic Folkboats.
Recently, the venue has alternated between Scandinavia and Germany. The last Sessan Cup event was held at Berlin Wannsee in 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sessan_Cup
The British Bid
2022 is the 80th anniversary of the Nordic Folkboat, and the UK Folkboat Association put forward a bid to hold the Sessan Cup in the UK to mark this anniversary. This would be the first time the event had left the Baltic States.
Racing Format
In 2014, the Berlin event comprised 4 races held over 2 days. The participants formed teams comprising two boats each to represent their nation or fleet and competed in a classical fleet-race of four races spread over the two days.
The Sessan Cup is awarded to the top 2 – boat team. The racing however is fleet racing and not team racing. The racing is conducted under the NFIA rule of White Sails and whisker poles.
The UK 2022 Sessan Cup
In 2022, the Sessan Cup will be hosted by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club in the UK. The Club was founded in 1922, and the Sessan cup will be a part of the Club’s 100th anniversary events.
To make the event more attractive for visiting boats, the Sessan cup will be held as part of a Regatta Week that includes the UK National Championship and the Walcon Cup. The Regatta will run from September 17th to September 22nd 2022.
It is intended to run the Regatta in Christchurch Bay to the west of the Solent.
Christchurch Bay is some 6 kilometres from Lymington, and is reached by sailing out of the West Solent and past the ancient fortifications at Hurst Castle that date back to King Henry VIII. The Regatta is timed to make use of an ebb tide in the morning to get the fleet out to the bay, and a flood tide in the afternoon to bring the fleet back again.
The Hurst Narrows, between Hurst Castle and the Isle of Wight are notorious for their tidal current and over-falls, so having the tide in the right direction is important, but nothing that a Nordic Folkboat cannot handle! Whilst outboard engines will not be compulsory, competitors are advised that it might be prudent to carry an engine for this event.
Christchurch bay is excellent sailing water. It is open to the South and Southwest, the direction of the prevailing winds. It is shallow enough to be able to lay good racing marks, and whilst it is tidal, the current is evenly spread across the bay such that the courses are not unduly biased from one side to the other by tidal current. The bay has been the venue for many Championships in the past, including the Dragon Edinburgh Cup, Etchells Championships, Royal Lymington Cup and J80 Championships.
It is anticipated that the Notice Of Race and Entry Form will be available online in early 2022.
In the meantime, the organisers are working on a full social programme for the event, details of which will be posted nearer the time.
There is ample accommodation in the area as the New Forest is a popular holiday destination for families in the UK, especially those who like to camp. However, we hope to be able to offer all visiting yachtsmen accommodation with local Club members and our local Nordic Folkboat fleet.
The Royal Lymington Y.C. crane will be available at no cost to entrants for launch and retrieval of competing boats, and space will be made available locally to store trailers. The Lymington Yacht Haven are offering to provide berthing for competitors, and additional berthing will be provided on the Harbour Masters pontoon as well as limited space on the Royal Lymington pontoon.
Trailing Information
Any person with a valid driving licence issued in their country of origin is permitted to drive in the United Kingdom for at least 12 months. This includes driving in the UK with an EU licence. You do not need an International Driving Permit to drive in the United Kingdom, but if your original licence does not feature an English translation you may find it useful in proving to the authorities that your licence is valid. You are required by law to have insurance and you should carry your registration documents with you.
If boats are sailed to the venue than please ensure you are familiar with HMRC Customs notice number 8 with regards to Temporary Admission and reporting procedures
Lymington
https://www.thenewforest.co.uk/visitor-info
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymington
https://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/explore/towns/lymington
Lymington is famous for its sailing history, and in recent years has been home to the world-famous regattas such as the Royal Lymington Cup, Etchells Worlds, Macnamara’s Bowl, and Source Regatta. The strong tides make it a challenging race track. Thursday Evening Racing takes place with up to 100 boats registered to race every Thursday night during the summer, hosted by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. Started in the 1990s, this has become increasingly popular.
There are two sailing clubs in the town, both active. The Royal Lymington Yacht Club, founded in the 1920s now has over 2000 members and runs major keelboat and dinghy events. The Lymington Town Sailing Club, founded in 1946, hosts the popular Lymington Winter Series known as the Solent Circuit.
Lymington is a wonderful place to visit! The town is steeped in rich history – from the Iron Age settlement at Buckland Rings to the splendid Georgian High Street whose weekly Charter Market dates back to the 13th century. Once a renowned centre for salt production and shipbuilding, Lymington is nowadays an internationally famous yachting centre with a population of almost 17,500.
Lymington’s situation on the edge of the New Forest National Park makes it a great place to stay, enabling you to combine the forest and coastline. The town has something for everyone, including the Lymington Sea Water Baths, the oldest lido in the UK, which is well worth a visit when open during the summer months. The Lymington to Keyhaven nature reserve provides some excellent walks at all times of year.
Whether you are visiting Lymington by boat or by land, there are many great things to do, places to visit and excellent hotels, pubs and restaurants.