Kiel Week will not be officially opened until Saturday evening by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. But the first races at the world's largest regatta week are already underway. A record fleet of 300 boats celebrated 125 years of the Aalregatta on the Eckernförde course. Kiel Week got off to a flying start with the Welcome Race, the Aalregatta and the Rendezvous of the Classics in front of the old Olympic harbour in Düsternbrook and demonstrated what it stands for with the very first starts: sailing sport in all dimensions. And the conditions were favourable: "We had very good conditions with easterly winds, even if it was a little dark in the sky at times," reported race director Ralf Paulsen.
The light breeze and pleasant temperatures under cloudy skies played into the organisers' hands early on Saturday morning. And after passing the Friedrichsort lighthouse, the breeze even rose to 4 to 5 Beaufort - ideal conditions for a fast journey for the crews on the 28 nautical miles (around 50 kilometres) tour from Kiel's inner fjord via the Stollergrund to Eckernförde. As expected, the fastest on the course was the crew led by brothers Helge and Christian Sach (Zarnekau) on the M32 catamaran "Itelligence", which crossed the finish line off Eckernförde after 2 hours, 17 minutes and 28 seconds.
There was a lot of activity on the water of the inner fjord at the start. To mark the anniversary of the Aalregatta, the classics had also joined the large fleet with their rendezvous and set off on the course to Eckernförde. Various starts of the different classification groups were lined up in front of the Olympic harbour for the spectators on the keel line for over two hours - a pretty spectacle for the spectators.
The 15 tri- and catamarans kicked things off. While the cruising tris mainly sought their luck on the eastern shore of the fjord, the Sach brothers, who also had Christian Sach's sons Johann and Anton on board, as well as co-owner Herbert Vogel, started with their almost ten metre long cat directly off the pier of Düsternbrook harbour. It was the right tactical decision, as the "Itelligence" pulled out of the fjord with a clear wind and then had real fun beyond the Friedrichsort lighthouse.
"Great wind, high waves. It was great sailing," reported Christian Sach, who was responsible for the headsails with his sons. And there was a bit of work to be done, because the small headsail went away before Surendorf and the large Code Zero was unfurled. "We were able to ride the waves nicely and had to make sure that we didn't catch a plug. However, the wind dropped in the last few miles before Eckernförde." This left the team exactly half an hour over the course record set by the "Musandam" crew from Oman, who were travelling in a trimaran more than twice the size four years ago. "For us, the race was also a good opportunity to take the guys on board with us and sail the start with them. It's also practice for the Opti," reported Christian Sach.
The next boat to arrive in Eckernförde was the "Calypso", Gerhard Clausen's 82-foot racer (around 25 metres), before the five-boat ClubSwan 50 fleet crossed the finish line. The identical boats from Russia are already warming up for the Nordstream Race with the Kiel Week opener. While the ORC crews of the Welcome Race sailed the course in a sporty and ambitious manner, the crews of the Aalregatta and the classics were much calmer and more relaxed, so that the field was only completed in Eckernförde in the evening and, after a night together in the cramped packet in the city harbour, set off on the return regatta to Kiel on Sunday morning.
A good 100 traditional ships are sailing on the fjord during Kiel Week. Each of them receives a visit from Uwe Geest and Claus Clüver
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
