Pandion – An Amateur Campaign Without Compromises

This weekend, Sandhamn Open will serve as a sneak preview for Pandion Racing 3 – the brand-new XR 41 that was delivered from Denmark earlier this spring.

The roots of the Pandion team stretch deep into Swedish offshore racing history. Several of the sailors were involved in successful projects such as the Farr 40 Spendrups and the Mannerberg 38 Mitsubishi Pajero , both of which achieved overall victories and class wins in Gotland Runt during the 1990s. The success of Nicorette later became a springboard to the international sailing scene for several members of the team. Sailors who drove the success of the Capio and Feelgood campaigns during the 2000s are also part of Pandion Racing today.

In 2008, Jon Sindeman commissioned the Farr 38 Pandion , a yacht he has raced successfully ever since, both fully crewed and double-handed. Pandion became nationally known during the brutal 2023 Gotland Runt when Jon and Ola Åstradsson were forced to abandon the boat following a rudder failure northeast of Gotska Sandön. Fortunately, the drama ended well, and the yacht was later recovered once the weather had calmed.

Over the past five years, parts of the same crew have also campaigned a J/70 internationally. It was during this period that the idea of a new offshore racing project began to take shape. The team evaluated both used and new-build options, and after ruling out more extreme projects such as former Volvo Ocean Race yachts, they ultimately selected the new XR 41 from X-Yachts.

The choice proved well founded. At the 2025 ORC World Championship in Tallinn, the XR 41 Formula X won its class, while two additional XR 41s finished among the top four. These results sparked discussion about the yacht’s competitiveness under the ORC rule and led to rating adjustments ahead of the 2026 season, pending a broader review of the rule.

The Pandion team has received invaluable support from the Formula X team, helmed by Jesper Radich. In collaboration with North Sails and sail designer Chris Williams, together with Tore Lewander and Martin Angsell, they have developed a sail inventory specifically tailored for offshore racing.

The yacht carries an extensive sail wardrobe, including a fathead mainsail, three jibs, three gennakers, a Code 0, two staysails, and a set of cruising sails. The team has also benefited from access to Formula X ’s polar diagrams and development data.

Much has been accomplished during two spring training weekends. The instruments have been calibrated with the assistance of instrumentation expert Jimmy Hellberg, and the yacht’s performance has been benchmarked against both the ORC certificate polars and Formula X ’s target speeds. The results have been encouraging.

“We are currently somewhere between the ORC polars and the Formula X numbers, which feels very positive considering how little time we have had with the boat,” the team says.

For comparison, Formula X conducted no fewer than eighteen three-day training sessions to optimize its yacht.

The 2026 schedule includes Sandhamn Open, Gotland Runt, and Baltic 600. Even bigger plans are in place for 2027, with both the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race on the calendar, along with several additional regattas in the Mediterranean. Beyond that lies perhaps the greatest dream of all.

“The ultimate dream is to be on the starting line of the Sydney Hobart in 2028,” says Jon.

Very little has been left to chance in this campaign. The crew is built around a close-knit group of friends with extensive experience sailing together. The team includes highly respected keelboat sailors from both Sweden’s west and east coasts, strengthened by profiles such as Tore Lewander, Jonas Wackenhuth, Jimmy Hellberg, and Jesper Stålheim. Ola Åstradsson, with his extensive offshore racing experience from around the world, is a key member of the project. The team also benefits from the support of physical trainer Bettina Strömwall.

Despite the ambitious nature of the campaign, the team’s objective is clear.

“Our goal with this project is to sail as well as we possibly can, but the most important thing is to have a great time together. We will prepare thoroughly and push the boat as hard as we can, but never at the expense of the enjoyment onboard,” says Jon Sindeman with a smile.

We wish Pandion Racing the very best of luck – first in Gotland Runt and then throughout the adventure that has only just begun.

Iohn Ryott, KSSS Information Committée