The yachts on the sea course were in the doldrums for over five hours before race officer Eckart Reinke was able to get them out on the course for a race after all. In the Olympic classes, the land-based courses managed a reasonable programme.
On the third day in Strander Bucht, the wind only made a flying visit in the form of a light thermal breeze. As a result, the yachts were stuck on the sea course for over five hours as if on a leaden sheet before race officer Eckart Reinke was able to let them out onto the course for a race after all. In the Olympic classes, at least the land-based courses managed a reasonable programme.
The match race women determined the last two representatives for the round of 16 in the hope heats, which will ultimately only take place with one German representative, Silke Hahlbrock (Hamburg). The 2.4 mR completed three races, the 49ers at least two. All other classes remained in the harbour, so that regatta boss Jobst Richter had to draw the conclusion: "We tried everything, but not much came of it."
After five hours of idleness on the Stollergrund, the yacht sailors were rewarded for their perseverance. "We kept in close contact with the crews via radio and made it clear that we were in the same situation as the race committee. I think this was accepted by everyone and the atmosphere was good," said race director Reinke, who was delighted that a race for the Kiel Cup classification had finally been organised. However, the wind also showed its moody side during the race. After a good start, the breeze broke again, so that the smaller yachts were timed on a shortened course. The large boats completed a full race. In ORC I, the company sports group of the "König&Xie" (Kiel) also took the lead from the "Beluga" of Christian Plump (Bremen) by winning the day.
On the other hand, Jürgen Klinghardt's (Lübeck) "Patent 3" defended its lead in ORC II, while the day's win for Detlef Amlong's (Schwedeneck) "Froschkönig" in ORC III+IV made things tight. However, the "Cala Ventinove" of Uwe Wenzel (Bremen) still leads by half a point. The leaders in the unit classes are the "Enternix" of Kai Plassmeier (Hamburg, Albin Express), the "tak for turen" of Christian Tinnemeyer (Kiel, J 80) and in the X35 the "Mantaplatte" of Bendix Hügelmann (Hamburg), who whirled through the entire field with his victory on the day.
On the triangular courses, all-round sailor Tobias Schadewaldt and his foresailor Hannes Baumann (Kiel) managed to finish ninth in the 49ers with two good results. "That was reassuring after we made a tactical error on the first day. Now we want to maintain a place in the top ten," said Schadewaldt. The best German team, meanwhile, is the Flensburg crew of Lennart Briesenick-Pudenz/Morten Massmann in third place. The Danish Hansen brothers are in the lead. "The Danes have an incredible boat speed. But we are also very satisfied. We are clearly aiming for a place in the medal race, maybe even on the podium. A Kieler Woche victory would be a dream, but that might be a bit ambitious," said Briesenick-Pudenz, setting the direction for the next few days. And the other German crews, including the Rieger brothers who have just started in the 49ers in 13th place, are still well in the running.
The 2000 Paralympics winner, Heiko Kröger (Kiel), is also on his way to the top in the 2.4 mR. With a win on the day, he is second, with Jens Als Andersen, another boat flying the Danish flag, in front of him. "Jens sails very level-headedly, conservatively and cleverly and even gets out of critical situations. But I'll try everything, there's still a lot in it," says Kröger.
For two of the three German match race crews, on the other hand, Kiel Week is already over. Both Ulrike Schümann (Berlin) and Svenja Puls (Kiel) failed to make it through to the last 16 via the hopeful heats. These places were secured by Katie Spithill (Australia) and Julie Bossard (France).
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
