In the jury's statement, it said that the participants had gained new experiences during the voyage, made new friends and fostered cultural exchange across national borders. In addition, the "responsible navigation, including the decision not to call at a harbour directly or not at all if the situation was unclear, testifies to the good ship's command and the continuously good training".
The most important awards for regatta sailors were the Rolf Schmidt Memorial Prize to the crew of the "Xenia" under owner Dr Bernhard Buchwald and helmsman Ralf Lässig and the Key Prize of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen to Robert Stanjek from Offshore Team Germany, who had competed in various races with the sailing yacht "Einstein".
The awarding of the "Ansgarkette" was also eagerly awaited. It is sailed out annually between the "Haspa Hamburg" of the Hamburgischer Verein Seefahrt and the "Bank von Bremen" of the Segelkameradschaft. At the end of each season, the chain is awarded to the boat that was the faster in the majority of regattas in which the two boats met. In 2022, this was the "Haspa".
Apparently, many sailors refrained from longer trips last season - whether due to concerns about coronavirus or the uncertainties caused by the war in Ukraine. For this reason, the Golden Compass and the Tanja Cup were not awarded at the offshore sailing evening this time. There were no corresponding entries from crews whose voyages would have been eligible for the awards, said Jan Helms, Chairman of the SKWB's "Ocean Sailing Awards" committee.
Which prize for what? The award criteria at a glance
First awarded in 1937, theGolden Compass is the oldest German offshore sailing prize. It is awarded for special sailing achievements on the North Sea, Atlantic or other oceans. TheSilver globe goes to skippers of crew vessels for outstanding voyages on the open sea. Otherwise, the award criteria for this prize are deliberately kept open.
The Tanja Cupalso known as the Magnus Müller Memorial Prize, was established in 1951 by Ernst Burmester, the owner of the Burmester shipyard on the Lesum at the time, and friends in memory of his son-in-law Magnus Müller, who died in an accident in the same year, as a travelling prize for outstanding sailing and nautical achievements. The competition was deliberately kept general and not tailored to a specific type of voyage. "Tanja" was the name of the yacht sailed by Magnus Müller.
For theFranz Perlia Seafaring Prize for Young PeopleThe aim is to recognise the best voyage of a youth crew in terms of seamanship, sailing, navigation and camaraderie. This can also be accompanied by adults.
TheRolf Schmidt Memorial Prize was again awarded this year by the Schmidt family for the best yacht in ORCi and ORCc I and II (International and Club) in the following races: as part of the Nordseewoche Rund Helgoland and Helgoländer Acht, Pantaenius Rund Skagen and as part of the Kiel Week for the Kiel-Eckernförde and Eckernförde-Kiel races.
Finally, the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen annually awards theKey pricefor top performance in ocean racing. The prize is awarded to the best ocean-going yacht flying the German flag for an outstanding performance in regattas starting or finishing abroad in the opinion of the prize committee. The prize committee consists of the Senator for Science and Ports of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, the chairman of the Bremen State Sports Association, the chairman of the Bremen Sailing Association and the sailing master and chairman of the sailing association "Das Wappen von Bremen".
Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
