Meet an X-Sailor – Torsten Bastiansen

torsdag 28th mars 2019

A series of interviews, supposed to set focus on the X-Sailor and the yachts behind them.

This first time about Torsten Bastiansen;

Torsten is a passionate racing sailor and head of the sailing team, Sydbank.
This time we have asked Torsten Bastiansen a couple of questions why he chose an X-Yacht.

Boat type: X-41 One design
Homeport: Flensburg
Sailing area: Baltic Sea
Time of ownership: 3,5 years
Previous boats: An X-79, X-332, X-332 Sport, X-35, IMX 40 and an Xp 38.

Why did you choose an X-Yacht?
– Since I was a teenager, I have always sailed X-Yachts, my first race was in an X-79 when I was just 16 years old, back in 1981.

How is your current boat for racing and performance?
– Excellent – The X-41 is a fast, well-sailing and extremely robust boat that can be squeezed without creaking. It does well on the racing track both in DH and ORCi rating. At upwind, the boat is a dream and it’s hard to find anything better … maybe a TP52 could follow up;).

What’s the most important factors to you about the X-41?
– That the boat is extremely rigid and strong and well-balanced.
I haven’t changed anything on board, the boat is rigged as it was designed and left the yard back in 2007, the only thing we have done is to optimise it for ORCi.

What’s your best X-Moment?
– To surf with up to 18.5 knots down through Fehmarnbelt in my X-332 Sport for German Championships during the Kieler Woche in up to 35 knots of wind and the feeling that we could continue for several hours.

What is your greatest achievement as a sailor?
– To win 2 silver medals in the ORCi Worlds, a bronze medal in the X-35 Worlds and a silver medal in the X-99 Worlds.

Tips for other X-sailors?
– Choose good rigid sails for your X-Yacht to match the boat’s performance, and do not be afraid to push the boat a little more than you think it can handle – an X can handle much more than other boats.

Torsten Bastiansen has been an X-Owner for almost 24 years.