Wind forces of six to seven and waves of around three metres awaited the participants of the 82nd North Sea Week. Many of the registered yachts decided on Saturday to cancel the only German offshore regatta this year. The results lists of all the regattas held are characterised by the abbreviation DNC (Did Not Come to Start Area). And even among those who made it to Helgoland, quite a few did not start, whether due to breakage or concerns about equipment. As a result, a number of participants entered a DNS (Did not start) in the fairly clear tables. It wasn't until yesterday's start of the Pantaenius Round Skagen Regatta that many of them managed to pull themselves together.
Friday the 13th
While the first race from Hamburg to Cuxhaven was relatively calm at first, the crews on the Outer Elbe were already expecting a gusty six-strong wind. The "Broader View Hamburg" was the first yacht to reach the finish line at Alte Liebe after 6 hours, 37 minutes and 13 seconds; the "Amuse-bouche" with helmsman Klaus-Thomas Krüger took victory across all classes.
After the official opening ceremony of the 82nd North Sea Week, there was a serious collision between two yachts at the start of the Early Bird Series for the Sundowner Race to Helgoland. The leeward X332 "Peggy" of the German Ocean Sports Association Hansa was rammed by the XP44 "Xenia". Both boats involved had to abandon the race as a result.
"The final damage to us on board is not yet foreseeable. We make three crosses that nothing serious has happened to any of us," reads the official Facebook page of the "Peggy". However, one of the sailors involved in the collision had to be treated by an emergency doctor in Cuxhaven. The race organisers have received two protest reports, which will be decided by an arbitration panel.
The remaining participants had to contend with the steep waves and the darkness that soon set in. On top of that, it was cold and windy - truly not a springtime pleasure. The sailors did not arrive on Heligoland until well after midnight. The "Silva Neo" with helmsman Dennis Gehrlein was the first to reach the sheltering island and also won according to the calculated time.
The feeder regatta from Cuxhaven to Helgoland demanded a lot from the participants
Feeder regattas and Hummer Cup
Only very few of the registered boats took part in the feeder regattas that started the next morning. There were just three from Wilhelmshaven and only four from Hallig Hooge. The race starting in Bremerhaven was completely cancelled due to the weather conditions. At the Minox Cup Cuxhaven-Helgoland, 17 boats took on the ride over the waves. Of the 66 yachts on the results list, 44 were labelled Did Not Come (DNC), three Did Not Finish (DNF), one Did Not Start (DNS) and one Retired after start (RET).
Meteorologist Meeno Schrader had forecast 22 to 25 knots of wind in the morning, with gusts of up to 40 knots for the sea area. The steep waves caused by the river current on the Outer Elbe in particular caused problems for the boats. The ferry connections to Heligoland were also largely cancelled over the weekend.
Only three boats took part in the Hummer Cup of the Early Bird Series on Saturday. Only the "Imagine" (ORC-Alpha) and the "Nixe" (ORC-Bravo) finished the race. The "Silva neo" broke its main boom in an unsuccessful jibe, which ended the North Sea Week prematurely for the crew. They started their return journey to Kiel the very next day.
Still six to seven force winds and more than three metres of waves - the Kapitell Cup round Helgoland
Capitell Cup Round Heligoland
The start of the Capitell Cup Rund Helgoland on Sunday was initially postponed by an hour and a half due to the weather. With wind forces of 6 to 7 and waves of more than three metres, most of the smaller boats stayed in the harbour. None of the crews registered for the Family Cruiser Cup took part in the regatta, and there were also no yachts in the ORCC Alpha and ORC Delta starting groups. The "Imagine" in ORCi Alpha and the "static electric" in ORCi Charlie were the only boats in their class to start.
Only just under 20 yachts started the race in total - but as some passed the starting line from the wrong side, only twelve of them could be scored in the end. According to race director Stefan Lehnert, Harald Baum's "Elan" sailed particularly well. It was one of the few boats on which the spinnaker was also used.
Heligoland Eight and Pantaenius Round Skagen
The field was even smaller on Monday morning for the Vomex A Cup Helgoländer Acht. Only five of the 38 registered yachts started, four of them in ORC Bravo and the "ReläXX" alone in ORC Charlie. Nevertheless, the race remained exciting right to the end. The "Desperado", the "Nixe" and the "One Group" fought for every metre until the very end and crossed the finish line within just 90 seconds of each other.
The Pantaenius Round Skagen Regatta started at 4pm in the afternoon. Many who had stayed away from the feeder regattas on Saturday decided to come to Helgoland for the long-distance race after all. 42 yachts started the race. The other boats made their way back to the mainland shortly afterwards - in aft winds on what was probably the most relaxed course of the weekend.
All results lists of the North Sea Week can be found here.
You can find the tracker for the Pantaenius Round Skagen Regatta here here.
Update: The navigator of the "Xenia", Andreas Bösch, and the DHH emphasise that the "Xenia" is not to blame for the collision with the "Peggy". A third vessel, the IMX40 "Finnja" was involved in the incident and has taken full responsibility for the collision. Mr Bösch reports: "'Xenia' and 'Peggy' were sailing towards the starting line on port bow high on the wind, the IMX40 'Finnja' was crossing the course of 'Xenia' on starboard bow. Suddenly she jibed, although there was no room for this manoeuvre. 'Xenia' tried to swerve to port, but was rammed by 'Finnja' on the starboard side and at the same time rammed 'Peggy' on the port side. The two protests were directed against the 'Finnja' by the 'Peggy' and the 'Xenia'. The 'Finnja' gave up and accepted full blame for the incident, and there was no further protest hearing."
Initially, calm conditions awaited the participants on the Elbe
