130 years after its premiere, Kieler Woche is sailing off to new shores. The world's largest regatta series is heading into the future with a drop in the number of participants, a new regatta director for 2013 and many new ideas.
The decline in the number of participants - in 2012 there were 3,500 starters, around 1,000 fewer than last year - is mainly due to the volatile class policy of the World Sailing Federation (Isaf), but also to the proximity of the upcoming Olympic regatta off Weymouth in England.
Caught in the time trap between the Sail for Gold World Cup regatta, which was squeezed into an already full European schedule and took place two weeks before Kiel Week in the Olympic sailing area, and the Olympic regatta, including the necessary pre-competition training, Kiel Week could only lose out this year. The result: hardly any international Olympic starters turned up off Kiel. The organisers had reacted extremely flexibly to the new Olympic disciplines introduced by the World Sailing Federation in May and the unfortunate timing. But the Olympians' focus on Weymouth was no match for the organisers. The outgoing head of organisation Jobst Richter, who retired after 26 years in Kiel Week, was correspondingly clear: "The Isaf has thwarted our plans more than once."
Easy home game for German Olympians
In view of this constellation, the German Olympic starters had a largely easy home game and were able to recharge their batteries. Laser sailor Philipp Buhl from Sonthofen, the 49er Olympic starters Tobias Schadewaldt and Hannes Baumann from Kiel, the 470 Olympic participants Ferdinand Gerz and Patrick Follmann from Munich and the Berlin 470 junior crew Annika Bochmann/Elisabeth Panuschke won four of the only six titles on offer in Olympic classes. Just like last year, the showdown between Philipp Buhl and Olympic hopeful Simon Grotelüschen in the Laser was a thriller. The two sparring partners once again delivered a fierce medal final in the first Olympic half of Kiel Week, which the younger Buhl won this time after a tactical mistake by Simon Grotelüschen.
Three dying Olympic disciplines - surfing for men and women and the match race for women - could not be held at all due to lack of numbers. DSV Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner explained: "The Isaf has changed 40 per cent of the Olympic programme for the 2016 Olympic Games. That means a huge upheaval for everyone involved."
"The most innovative regatta in the world"
Nevertheless, Kieler Woche, which hosted a World Cup final for the last time for the time being, remains the world's largest regatta series. In 2013, it will be part of a self-founded European series. This year, the organisers had already reacted with lightning speed to the new Olympic disciplines introduced for 2016 in May and included kitesurfing as a demonstration sport. Job Richter said: "Kiel Week is the most innovative regatta in the world."
In the second, non-Olympic half of Kieler Woche, 51-year-old serial winner Wolfgang Hunger once again chased his own fabulous record: the nine-time world champion sailed to his 20th Kieler Woche victory with his co-sailor Julien Kleiner in the 505 and said: "I didn't used to count my victories here, but over time they have grown on me. The value of this victory is already higher than usual."
Two-skipper ace Detlef Mohr was also able to celebrate a small victory anniversary: together with foresailor Karen Wichardt, he celebrated his fourth Kiel Week success. For the helmsman himself, it was his tenth triumph in total. Thriller author Jan von der Bank, world champion in the Contender in 2005, had to bow to Denmark's Søren Andreasen this year and be satisfied with second place.
Philipp Buhl's brief hopes of a second Kieler Woche victory within a week were thwarted by Szabolcs Majthenyi and Andras Domokos. With eight wins in ten races, the eight-time Hungarian world champions in the Flying Dutchman gave the German talent and his co-skipper Adalbert Netzer no chance despite an early start. Only Johannes Polgar and Markus Koy won the series of Star boats, which was moved to the international half following the cancellation of the 2016 Olympics, in an even more dominant fashion. After ten race wins in a row, the duo, who were unrivalled in the mini field, were allowed to give themselves the last race in the continuous rain. Much more important to them and the many prominent star boat crews who are already training for their Olympic farewell gala before Weymouth, however, is the hope of a possible Olympic comeback for the keelboat class, which the hosts of the 2016 Olympic Games are currently endeavouring to achieve behind the scenes.
Sailors saw red
On the sea course, the Kieler Woche participants on the big boats mostly saw red: Jochen Schümann's professional sailors on the red and white "All4One" won all the races they took part in. This also applied to the final Senate Prize on Saturday, when 470 Olympic starter Ferdinand Gerz was at the helm instead of Schümann.
Kiel Week 2013 will take place from 22 to 30 June. The new head of organisation will be Peter Ramcke, a management consultant with Olympic experience from Mönkeberg. His goal: "With our team of around 350 employees, most of whom are volunteers, I would like to further expand Kiel Week's global pre-eminence."
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
