boot Düsseldorf 2024: Burke/Fink on their development, new signing Jonas Kroner and the coming season
Max Gasser
· 25.01.2024
YACHT: How is boot Düsseldorf going for you so far?
Melwin Fink: It's going great! It's always great to be here and we're delighted that boot Düsseldorf has given us the opportunity to do so again. They have provided us with the stand, as they did last year, and it's perfect for us to be here and finally get to talk to people again.
Lennart Burke:Fans and really young people come to the stand, about ten or twelve years old, who tell us that they've been looking forward to it for a long time and want to become offshore sailors one day, really sweet. Of course, we then take photos, which is great fun. But we now also look after customers, look after their boats and prepare them for regattas, for example. So there are also existing or potential customers who want to chat to us and exchange ideas.
You had a successful year in 2023, how satisfied are you with the development in particular?
Lennart: Extremely satisfied, we didn't expect that. We thought we were entering Class 40 and would have to prove ourselves first and get cold water in our faces. But things went amazingly well right from the start. I think we were very lucky that we made it back into the training group in Lorient. Training there with our coach, with whom we also prepared the Mini-Transat campaign, and sailing with the best of the best was very good. Then of course the good material, the latest boat with super equipment. That was really brilliant. What I think also helped us a lot is that we are very young. We were always by far the youngest team at the regattas and still had a lot of power. We stepped on the gas a bit more and sometimes pushed a bit closer to the limits. Of course, we still had to take care of the equipment because we always have very little money.
Where does your campaign still have room for improvement? What do you want to work on?
Lennart:In any case, gain significantly more experience. You notice that the older sailors have a lot of experience when it comes to certain decisions. We also want to learn a lot more in terms of navigation. And another big deficit is performance data. We need to do more with this. So our polar data, analysing certain data, how we sail, which sail has which potential and things like that, we need to find that out a bit better.
You recently announced that you had brought Jonas Kroner on board. How did that come about?
Lennart:That's actually a bit crazy, as we're super young ourselves. I'm 25, Melwin is currently 21, and we're already supporting the next generation. But for us it was kind of natural because we've built up a great foundation over the last few years to get this Class 40 project up and running. And we thought that we could also use this to give someone else the chance to build something. It's all there. We have a huge network, great suppliers and sponsors. And we've also met many entrepreneurs in our search for sponsors who are interested in sailing projects but for whom a Class 40 campaign, for example, would be too big. And then we also talked to them about a mini-campaign.
And why is Jonas exactly the right person for you?
Lennart: We thought it was super exciting that he is still young at just 19 years old and quite an unknown quantity. We wanted to support someone who hadn't yet achieved any great successes, had any Olympic campaigns behind him or was already quite active in the offshore scene. We wanted someone who is completely new, undescribed, young, wild and absolutely needs support to take the first step and make a name for himself. It was similar with Melwin and me. We also came from an unknown club and hadn't done much before. We then got into the Mini, stepped on the gas and only then became known. We want to try and pass that on to other people and help them to make something of themselves.
Could this be the starting signal for a major German junior racing team?
Melwin: We haven't given it that much thought yet. It more or less just happened with Jonas. We saw a cool opportunity and took advantage of it. I wouldn't rule out doing it again if it went well and we still have good contacts and opportunities. But so far we haven't made any big plans and are actually letting it happen more and more, as with all things that happen to us (laughs).
What can Jonas learn from you and how are you trying to support him in the coming months and years?
Melwin: I think Jonas still has a lot to learn as a sailor. We always take him with us on the Class 40 and also try to sail double-handed regattas with him so that we can simply pass on our experience. Jonas can then definitely avoid many of the mistakes we have made. I believe that he will simply take a straighter route to the mini-transat. He won't have to take as many detours as we might have had to. We now know what needs to be done and what is important and what is not. We can support Jonas very well. We also have our entire network that Jonas can utilise. And of course our team, i.e. the boat builders, sailmakers and our workshop. I think that's ideal for Jonas and a very good basis for his two mini-Transat years.
What general advice would you give to young sailors aiming for a mini-transat?
Melwin: That always sounds easy, but: just do it, just do it. Try to talk to people, network with the right people. There are so many mini-sailors in Germany and many who have already sailed the Mini-Transat. You can also ask us and always get in touch with us. And then of course try to get started, go sailing with different people and then try to somehow get on a boat like this or borrow a Mini. There is a huge community behind it and you just have to network and show that you exist and that you have this goal.
You also have a very exciting season coming up very soon. You are fully financed, which must be a very good feeling.
Melwin: Fully financed is always a big word. More is always better, they are all incredibly expensive projects. But we definitely have the budget to pull off this season as we planned. And we're very happy about that.
What are you personally looking forward to most in the coming season?
Lennart: Two things. Firstly, of course, to go sailing ourselves. We get to sail the Caribbean 600 with our Class 40 in February. We will fly over at the beginning of February and prepare the boat. Because after the Transat (Jacques Vabre, editor's note.) didn't have much time to work on the boat last year, we now have some catching up to do. But that's a good thing, because we've now had plenty of time over the winter to prepare it, procure spare parts and make plans. And then, of course, I'm looking forward to Jonas travelling to France after boot Düsseldorf and starting to train. We'll also support him with contacts so that he gets in touch with the right people to train with, which is important.
Melwin:I'm really looking forward to the four-handed regattas. The four of us will be sailing two regattas this year. One is the Caribbean 600 and the other is the Québec-Saint-Malo. I'm particularly looking forward to the latter because we'll be sailing it with Simon Koster. He is a very strong sailor in the Class 40 scene and a great role model for us. He is currently sailing in the Imoca together with Alan Roura for "Hublot". And then Hendrik Witzmann is also coming on board. I bought my first Mini from him back then. He is also a very, very good sailor. We're hoping to learn a lot more and be able to sail a great transatlantic race with the two of them.
