German 49er Championship: The bronze medallists: pecking order restored

At the German Skiff Sailing Championships on Hamburg's Outer Alster, the successful German 49er fleet continued what it had already shown at the World Championships in Aarhus: thrilling duels, three- and four-way battles in the top group of the title fights, which were somewhat sparse with ten participating gliders, but strong at the top. For three days, ten teams of the fastest Olympic boat class showed sailing at its best in the centre of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. Organised by the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein in its 150th anniversary year, the best German 49er crews battled it out for the championship title in the fast skiff dinghy.

Tim Fischer from Norddeutscher Regatta Verein and Fabian Graf from Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee, who impressed with their spectacular bronze medal win in the Danish World Championships just a week ago, were level on points with their strongest competition after seven races on Saturday: Erik Heil (NRV), bronze medallist at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, who sailed with Max Boehme from Kieler Yacht-Club, who finished twelfth in the World Championships, due to a thumb injury to his regular coxswain Thomas Plößel.

In the end, it was the more experienced Erik Heil and Max Boehme who had a better nose for the wind in the last three races on the final day and relegated the youngsters Fischer/Graf to second place. Keeping the boat from capsizing in the classic Alster conditions with extreme wind shifts and recognising the gusts on the water early on were the biggest challenges for the 49er artists this weekend. "We don't normally sail in such small areas," explained Erik Heil.

Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger from the Bavarian Yacht Club took third place after ten exciting races. In addition to fame and honour, the three teams on the podium were also delighted to receive prize money. "We are very proud of the success of our two Olympic team members Erik Heil and Tim Fischer," said Club Manager Klaus Lahme. "The double success shows us that we are on the right path to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo with our top-level support."

Brothers Jan Peter and Hannes Peckolt celebrated an anniversary comeback. For the first time since they won the bronze medal in the 49er at the 2008 Olympic Games ten years ago, they were back together in a skiff. "It was great sailing at a very high level. The very fair co-operation between the sailors was impressive and we are delighted that we were able to be here," said Jan Peter Peckolt. "Dealing with the wind shifts and the need to make the right tactical decisions quickly was a particular challenge." With a boat borrowed from Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel, the two brothers sailed straight to sixth place.