On the second day of the traditional regatta, the calm also caused Ralf Paulsen, the race director, to worry. "We're keeping an eye out for any breeze and have set up the entire course," reported Paulsen. An alternative plan was already in place so that the crews on the yachts would not have to sail late into the evening again. The Stollergrund Nord mark had been chosen as an early destination.
Suddenly there was wind for the eel regatta
The search for wind was rewarded unexpectedly quickly. Paulsen sent the fleet on its journey to Kiel right on time. And the fast boats felt their way towards the open Baltic Sea, utilising the breeze on the north coast of Eckernförde Bay. However, the further out they travelled, the weaker the wind became. Around Stollergrund, the sea was smooth again.
One by one, the yachts trickled into the finish - led by Michael Berghorn's "Halbtrocken 4.5", just like in the first race. "The wind started really well, but then unfortunately it got less and less. A look back told us that the others could still sail on with a fresh breeze," said the skipper from Kieler YC. Calculated, Berghorn finished second in the group of large yachts.
The "Störtebeker" was one of the first to follow in terms of time sailed. For the young crew of the Hamburgischer Verein Seefahrt, the Aalregatta is a further step towards the big 600-mile classics. After Kieler Woche, the Carkeek 47 will be transferred to the south of England to take part in the Rolex Fastnet Race. The yacht will then head for the Mediterranean. Participation in the Voile de St.-Tropez is an option, and the Rolex Middle Sea Race in October is definitely booked in. "Two thirds of the Fastnet crew have already been on board, so we were able to practice some manoeuvres here," reported Paula Classen from the crew. Max Gärtner from Essen is skippering the yacht. With one Fastnet participation in 2021, he is already one of the experienced HVS sailors. The average age of the "Störtebeker" crew at the Fastnet will be just 24.9 years. It will be even lower for Kiel Week. The HVS sailors are 23.1 years old, the oldest on board is just 26. The "Störtebeker" finished the second part of the Aalregatta in second place in ORC 1.
"Intermezzo" wins
Jens Kuphal's "Intermezzo" (Berlin YC) started the regatta from Eckernförde to Kiel with a lot of experience but extremely little preparation. The yacht had only been transferred to Eckernförde the day before, where the crew came together with a few changes. Robert Stanjek and Annie Lush from the Ocean Race crew of Guyot Team Europe are part of the "Intermezzo" team, but will be absent for Kieler Woche. Phillip Kasüske, like skipper Jens Kuphal, has chosen the fast route from the Ocean Race stage in The Hague to Kiel. Kuphal has engaged a high-calibre interim navigator in ex-America's Cup sailor Sten Mohr (Denmark). "It was a beautiful day of sailing with a great atmosphere on board. Max Gurgel has improved the boat once again. It sails great. And Sten fitted in perfectly right away," said Kuphal.
Sten Mohr was delighted to be on board the Landmark 43: "I've often sailed against the boat. A super-fast yacht. As she has been continuously optimised, she is close to 100 percent. It was great fun. The teamwork was outstanding and the yacht was skippered very well." For the last 500 metres to the finish, when the wind was knocked out, Mohr had a hard-working remedy at the ready: "Apart from the heavy cloths, we set all the sails we had." That was enough to take the top position in ORC 1, although the "Intermezzo" normally belongs in the ORC 2 group.
The crew of Jan Opländer's "Katima" (Flensburger SC) did not feel entirely favoured by luck. After celebrating victory in the large boat class the day before, it got stuck this time. "Things were going well at first, then our luck ran out shortly before the finish. For 20 minutes, hardly anything worked. The current pushed us forwards, but it felt like we were going backwards," reported Tim Kröger from the crew. Nevertheless, we still came fourth this time.
The other starting groups struggled to finish their races by the evening as the wind dropped. However, after a slight delay, the award ceremonies were held on the stage in the Olympic Centre.
Results
- Winner ORC I: "Intermezzo", Jens Kuphal (Berliner YC)
- Winner ORC II: "Sirena", Peter Buhl (Denmark)
- Winner ORC III: "Xen", Torsten Bastiansen (Flensburger YC)
- Winner ORC IV: "Elli", Thorben-Henryk Strube (SLRV)
- Winner ORC Doublehand: "Whiteout", Hasso Hoffmeister/Sven Winterberg (Kiel)
