134th Travemünde Week: Excitement until the end - which titles will stay in Germany?
Max Gasser
· 28.07.2023
Everything is set for exciting final days at this year's Travemünde Week. Although the sailing competitions will continue until Sunday, many important decisions will already be made today. Among other things, three new world champions will be crowned, while at the same time new competitions such as the German Sailing League will start at the Travemünde Week.
Two to four races in the various classes were completed yesterday. Harry Voss from the Schaumburg-Lippischer Seglerverein took the lead in the European O dinghy championship and leads the all-German podium after four races. There are also still chances for German titles in the J/22 class world championship, although Jean-Michel Lautier's team from the Netherlands has a large lead at the top. The crew secured five victories in six races, followed in second and third place by the German helmsmen Wolf Jeschonnek (Cöpenicker Segler-Verein) and Jürgen Eiermann (Hansa-Segel-Kameradschaft Rhein-Neckar). Both the Olympic dinghies and the J/22 are still sailing until Saturday.
Sach brothers: no further victory for the record holders?
In the other championships, on the other hand, the international class that is sailing off Travemünde this year is evident. Olympic participant Emil Järudd from Sweden is currently ahead of Patrick Demesmaker/Gilles Tas (Belgium) and Gavin Colby/Kai Colman (Australia) in the Formula 18 Catamaran World Championship. At the 2021 Olympic Games, he finished 14th as Cecilia Jonsson's co-skipper in the Nacra 17, but has now taken the helm himself in the F-18. Meanwhile, the best Germans in the field are the Zarnekau brothers Helge and Christian Sach in ninth place. The 2006 F-18 world champions are the record winners of the Travemünde Week with 21 first places. Meanwhile, Christian Sach's sons, also a successful duo, are preparing for the 29er World Championship in Weymouth, with the first races scheduled to start on Sunday.
The podium at the Junior World Championship in the 49er and 49er FX is also completely international. Australians Jack Ferguson and Jack Hildebrand lead the boys' competition ahead of German-Maltese Richard Schultheis and his co-skipper Youenn Bertin. After seven top-three results in qualifying, the young team suffered some setbacks at the start of the final series and are currently eleven points behind. "The wind is hard to read, every race was completely different," said 18-year-old Schultheis, who has lived on the Mediterranean island since he was six years old but has both passports. "This is also where I learnt to sail, so I'm sailing for Malta." Before the final day, the best crew competing for Germany, Valentin Müller and Moritz Fiebig (Bayrischer Yachtclub), are currently in fourth place, narrowly missing out on the podium.
France's Manon Peyre/Clara-Sofia Stamminger de Moura, who have dominated all races so far and still fancy their chances for the 2024 Olympics, are in the lead in the women's event. The best German team, Sophie Steinlein and Max Körner from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, are in sixth place ahead of the final day.
Minister President Günther beats Mayor Lindenau
The Lübeck Sailing Champion's Cup was sailed for the first time yesterday. Six teams from Flensburg to Hamburg competed against each other in league boats on the Media Race Course. The Flensburg Sailing Club secured this unofficial title in short races. Meanwhile, "Polizei und Prominenz" finished in last place. In contrast, the Volksbank Rotspon Cup was once again a real classic, in which Lübeck's mayor Jan Lindenau competed against Schleswig-Holstein's Minister President Daniel Günther this year and promptly suffered a defeat.
Travemünde Week: Second match day of the German Sailing League starts today
The second match day of the German Sailing League starts today as part of the Travemünde Week. The exciting final of the Sailing Champions League had already taken place at the beginning of the week. The organisers are expecting similarly exciting races in similarly difficult wind conditions.
"The Travemünde Week, where the Sailing Bundesliga has been an integral part of the programme since it was founded ten years ago, offers a very challenging sea area with the Bay of Lübeck," says Anke Nowak, Managing Director of the Sailing Bundesliga. She emphasises that the long break between the first and second match day of the 2023 season has given the teams the opportunity to train intensively.
Decisions are pending- 134th Travemünde Week continues until Sunday
With only one match day to go, the race for the coveted championship trophy is still wide open. Mühlenberger Segel-Club, currently leading the table, is sending helmsman Jacob Ahlers into the race. Second in the table is the Münchner Yacht-Club, ahead of the defending champions Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, who are relying on the experienced former Olympian Tobias Schadewaldt.
The programme for the weekend also includes further races for sea sailors, corsairs, keel pullers, J/22s and O dinghies.
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Max Gasser
Editor Test & Technology
