The German national sailing team enters the main round of Kiel Week with six podium positions in eight Olympic and one Paralympic class. The only German frontrunners after the two-day preliminary round are the 49er FX sailors Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz from Berlin and Heiko Kröger in the Paralympic keelboat class 2.4mR.
Organisation manager Peter Ramcke drew a first positive interim balance on Sunday evening: "It was two challenging, great days with ideal sailing conditions. We are perfectly on schedule. It can go on like this." Brazil's sailing star and double Olympic champion Robert Scheidt continues to celebrate a successful comeback in his former favourite class as the leader in the Laser class. Behind the five-time Olympic medallist from South America and Australian Ashley Brunning, Laser European Champion Philipp Buhl from Sonthofen is in third place, eight points behind the leader.
"Unfortunately, the current ranking is relatively irrelevant due to the new regulations," said Buhl, "the main thing is to qualify for the medal final with the top six at the end. Then it's almost starting from scratch again." Like the majority of Olympic sailors, Buhl has spoken out against the new regatta format, describing it as "crass and with a high luck factor".
Like other European Cup regattas, Kieler Woche is also testing a format that should make early victories impossible in future. This is intended to keep the excitement for spectators until the very end. The format devalues the performance in the races of the preliminary and main rounds, which are only taken into the medal final of the best six teams as an average result worth one race. The sailors would like to see a more balanced assessment of their performance over the course of a week, as they believe this is the only way to determine the best team in all conditions. "This year will be trialled, next year it will be consolidated," said Peter Ramcke, holding out the prospect of an early end to the international test phase, in which the formats change from regatta to regatta. "It even confuses us sailors," said 470 helmswoman Annika Bochmann, who will have to watch the Kieler Woche with an injured thumb.
On Sunday, the 30-metre maxi yacht "Esimit Europe 2" won the return race from Eckernförde to Kiel and thus also the Krupp Challenge Prize for the fastest yacht in the two-day "Welcome Race" of Kiel Week. The 18-strong crew on board Europe's largest monohull yacht reached the finish line after one hour, ten minutes and 41 seconds. However, the catamaran "SAP Extreme 40", which had won the first race, was not at the start as its team had to cancel the start due to technical problems.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
