I met Ole Gawande almost two years ago. He had then freshly joined the crew of the Beneteau dealership in Berlin and was introduced to me by the guys of the Seascape shipyard. A young, energetic and very sympathetical guy. Over time, making a living as a boat dealer, he quickly earned a very good reputation for being a correct, hard-working and successful salesman. A few weeks ago, during a business trip to Berlin, I was talking to his boss. A we were a bit chatting off-topic after our meeting, he told me the crazy story Ole experienced during last year´s edition of the Silverrudder race. And since this story is so cool, I immediately asked Ole if I could make an article about it. He agreed.
You may already know from my past articles about Silverrudder that this regatta is the world´s biggest singlehanded racing event? Starting slots are sold out in a matter of a few hours – faster than tickets to yet another farewell tour of the Rolling Stones, I´d say. I know many guys who participated, some of them succeeded, some not. But Ole´s story is so funny, yet also tragic at the same time, that it is kind of unique. So let´s jump back a few months. It´s September. Welcome to Svendborg, Denmark …
Ole about his first crazy Silverrudder participation
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „Ole, just tell us – was it your first ever participation at Silverrudder? Why did you enroll for this adventure in the first place?“
Ole Gawande: „Yep, first time ever. I´ve decided to give it a try on very short notice. As you know, I work for the Berlin Beneteau dealership and for some reason Seascape Slovenia offered a wild card-starting slot to our company. It was literally a matter of a few days. We´ve had a First 18 SE ready to sail in the showroom and as the shipyard encouraged me so much, I suddenly felt that tingling, a very strong affection towards this crazy idea. And so I signed on to that roller coaster ride. I do have sailboat racing experience, but those days are over since I became an adult. Today I am more into cruising. But you know, working with First boats and the crew of Seascape is so exciting for me that I just couldn´t resist that offer …“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „So you grabbed a show-boat from your company, loaded it onto a truck and hauled it to Denmark? How did you prepare yourself for that tough race?“
Ole Gawande: „Yeah, well, you may call it reckless – and it surely is – but neither myself nor the boat were really prepped for that race. To be honest, it was originally planned that I´d receive a First 24 SE for the race but she turned out to be late in production. So my boss offered I´d take the 18 instead. And this decision had been made right at the very last day before I left for Svendborg. You see, I bought all the equipment and safety stuff during my drive up north! My boss and also my brother were a great help and we pretty much got almost everything. But some parts we just didn´t manage to organize, like a tiller-pilot for example. You have no idea how stressful it is to having no choice but to constantly hold the tiller in your hand for over 40 hours …“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „Yeah, sounds very … spontanous! So, in essence: Late boat, a makeshift brand new and never tested set of equipment and no preparation sailing-wise whatsoever? For the biggest singlehanded race of the planet?“
Ole Gawande: „Well, yes. I haven´t even sailed in the waters around the Island of Fyn before. And so I had no idea about that area and what to expect. To be honest, even now I don´t know much about those stretches of the course I have been sailing through by night. So, my preparations had been very meager, to say the least. I began to slowly realize what I had brought myself into when we arrived at Svendborg. It was so crowded, so amazing but also kind of overwhelming! After setting up the boat I went straight to the weather and navigational briefing – at Silverrudder this is also done by Seascape for all participants on their boats exclusively. And then? Off I went, basically.“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „Wow. So, what was your idea, or strategy for that race? Did you even had one?“
Ole Gawande: „Yes, sure. My one and only aim was to get through. Just simply, I wanted to arrive. I didn´t have any targets or other competative goals. Others, Silverrudder veterans, had told me that the route has some pretty nasty challenges and hurdles to overcome. So I thought I´d better not risk anything and play it safe. I would say with this mindset a race like Silverrudder becomes much more stress-free and tangible. But, you know it as a sailor: Even the race against you neighbouring competitor can be a pretty exciting one! And so, not just in Svenborg before the start, but all along the whole race, there was this pretty amazing and unique lush atmosphere. All participants helped each other to pluck up courage, to find motivation. At least for me this was of great help.“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „Other than the Silverrudder of 2023, the last edition wasn´t plagued by excessive storm-force wind speeds, which was a good thing for the majority I would say. How did you experienced the course and the weather during Silverrudder? How did you master the First 18 SE?“
Ole Gawande: „As for the weather, the race can be characterized as a chain of calms. Many of which occured before the huge bridge over the Belt. But sailing with no wind is in no way easier – to the contrary! I found it very exhausting to stay alert, finding my way through and to the rare wind-patches. To control the boat and above all, stay awake. The First 18 SE is a lightweight and very, very nimble boat, she sails very well and can even keep up the pace set by much bigger boats. When there was wind, it was pure bliss sailing for me! But, well, I missed a specific time window where the current pushes you. That´s the infamous Middelfart-passage. The currents there are just amazingly strong! Tacking against the current, I made 6 to 8 knots boatspeed but only zero.5 knots over ground! Can you imagine how exhausting and frustrating that is? But, other than some of the bigger boats, due to the low draft of the First 18 SE I was able to sail in shallow waters and even overtake some of the others.“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „I guess my readers are kind of impatient now as they want to know what kind of stunt you have pulled off. But before we arrive at this crazy thing, tell us, what have been the top three most demanding things about that race for you?“
Ole Gawande: „First of all and on top is definitely the missing tiller-pilot. This just made sailing the boat so indefinitely harder! Be it the sails trim, be it getting the food or drinks from the cabin below or just the fact that I had to constantly grab a firm hold on it. Very, very unpleasant! Secondly, just before I finished the race, the approach to Svendborg at pitch-black night was absolutely tricky and very demanding. As I was overtired and exhausted, keeping a safe control over the boat in times of stronger wind patches, more so upwind, was tiresome. You have to be aware of the other boats and constantly think for them too. At the same time I had to navigate my way around the corner into the harbor, so that was pretty tough! You mentioned my „stunt“ at the end – well, that´s the third and last point: To process this issue emotionally was quite a mountain I had to climb … it kept me busy for many, many days.“ (he laughs)
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „You mentioned food and drinks: I know the First 18 SE myself too and she is more a sport-utility than a cabin-boat. So tell us a bit more about your nutrition and drinking habits during the race.“
Ole Gawande: „Haha, you are right, she is kind of cramped down below! So, essentially, I hadn´t have special stuff with me. I kept it very simple: A plastic basket filled with sandwiches and some fruits and snacks. I´ve had a protein joghurt, two bottles of Coca Cola, some water and a tea. That´s it. And it was enough for me to keep me fed and hydrated during the race: I mean, 40 hours is not a Vendée Globe, right? Anyway, my first hot meal? That I got served by the great guys of Seascape at 3 a.m. in the morning in the tent. What a great service to their community!“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „How did you cope with fatigue?“
Ole Gawande: „I must say I am surprised still how unimportant this issue really was for me in the end. You know, this was the single one thing I feared the most. But it turned out that I could manage it pretty well. I came out of the first night very nicely. I guess it was due to the Adrenaline because there was very thick fog. The constant focus on seeing something may have kept me up and awake. But tiredness kicked in hard the following morning. When I suddenly woke up from a microsleep, my boat performing a Chinese Gybe! Quite a hustle with the Gennaker up, I can tell you! But seeing that much water in the cockpit in a moment of shock pushed energy into the system and kept me up the whole day. It became a bit extreme during the second night as I could literally feel the energy again leaving me by the minute. But I forced myself to focus and could cope with this quite good, I´d say.“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „And now, Ole: Arriving after a complete circle around the Island of Fyn, what was it, this crazy stunt, that you pulled off? Tell us please …“
Ole Gawande: „Okay. Well. Approaching Svendborg finish line, I calculated that I´d be completing my race after little over 40 hours at around 3 a.m., so far, so good. I steadily sailed to the finish line and got approached by the race officials on a small boat. They asked for my starting number, which I replied and recommited to the finish. I saw it right in front of me. I was exhilarated and very excited, as you can imagine! Finished, berthed, done. But on the next day, after I had slept for a few hours, checking the documents and the route tracking … I was struck. As it seemed, I did not cross the finish line but rather beared away from it right in front of my bowsprit! A few meters – let it be ten at mos! So, in fact, I never crossed it, damn it! And you know what´s the worst about it? During skipper´s briefing two days before, they specifically suggested that any participant arriving at night should play it safe and sail all the way through, 200 meters and more, to be safe and sure! But I never ever heard this suggestion, because that day I received so many phone calls … you can imagine how destroyed I felt! In essence: I mastered the challenge but I did not finish the race. 10 meters short …“
Lars Reisberg | NO FRILLS SAILING.com: „Oh boy. Ole. What a story! So, what´s the plan for this year, 2025?“
Ole Gawande: „Our First 18 SE is sold now. The sticker of the Silverrudder-route, which was still in the cockpit, may have sped up the sales process, who knows? I definitely want to compete again and finish the race this time. Including 200, or better 500, meters more, you can bet on this! Maybe now I´ll receive a First 24 SE as it was planned initially, or I again take the 18 SE, which is a great boat! But I will also prepare myself much, much better and learn from the good and bad decisions I´ve made. Minimizing the stress level before the start to have a clean, free spirit at the starting line is a key. In any case, I am looking so much forward to upcoming September!“
Ole, that was a hell of a ride, even for me as the author sitting at home. Thanks so much for sharing your incredible story. May you be lucky and get another shot to earn the Silverrudder Finisher-Shirt this year!
Pictures (c) Silverrudder & Ole Gawanke
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