100 years of the North Sea Week: Imperial weather for Rund Helgoland: Albert Schweizer: "Super birthday present for us all"

"In Kiel they would say: mega imperial weather!" said North Sea Week Race Director Albert Schweizer on Whit Sunday evening. Once again, the sailors had experienced a marvellously beautiful regatta day around the red rock. At his 41st North Sea Week, 36 of which he has experienced as an active sailor and five of which he has helped organise as race director, the sports director remains in a beaming mood: "Our sailors are all happy. That makes my team and me mega-happy. It's a great birthday present for all of us, for the 100 years that we've been swimming in happiness so far." This was also the case in the Capitell Cup races around Helgoland. 83 yachts took part and were sent out on their courses in five groups in the morning. "First Ship Home" was once again Steffen Müller's smart Brenta 60 "Almost Nothing". The skipper from the Burger Segler-Vereinigung and his crew were rewarded with the Capitell Cup Helgoland travelling prize, which goes to the fastest ship on the large course for ORCi yachts in terms of time sailed. Müller last won the prize with his Brenta 60, built in 2007 by Knierim Yachtbau on Kiel's Uferstraße, at the 2019 North Sea Week. After that, Germany's traditional sailing series was cancelled in the two consecutive years of the pandemic. The fact that it can start again in time for the anniversary has mobilised many additional forces.

"We had the perfect day today!" said Steffen Müller on Helgoland. After an average start, his crew on the Brenta 60 was able to work its way through the field to the front. "We had some really interesting sailing with the 'Halbtrocken 4.5'," said Müller. Michael Berghorn's rival "Halbtrocken 4.5" crossed the finish line off the southern harbour just four minutes after the "Almost Nothing" after a thrilling duel. According to the calculated time, however, neither the "Almost Nothing" nor the "Halbtrocken 4.5" were able to finish on the podium in the ORCi 1 + Club 1 group over the approximately 43 nautical miles. The "Halbtrocken 4.5" came fourth, just ahead of Müller's "Almost Nothing". Victory in this group went to the XP-44 "Xenia" with Ralf Lässig at the helm.

In the ORCi 2 and Club 2 division, the team led by Daniel Baum from Pantaenius on the family-owned Swan 48 "Elan" came out on top after a calculated time on the big course, relegating the Hummer Cup winners led by "Pax" skipper Klaus-Uwe Stryi to second place. With this success, Nordseewoche veteran Daniel Baum has won several prizes at once: the Nordseewoche Rund Helgoland Prize, the Nordseewoche Cup and an island flag.

The races on the slightly shorter 37 nautical mile course for the smaller yachts around the island in a clockwise direction were no less exciting. Nils Merten Färber's crew on the X-37 "Maila" won the overall classification based on the calculated time of all 38 boats on the small course. Hagen Reese and his team sailed the Faurby 396 "Susewind" into second place ahead of Michael Schlee's team on the X-35 OD "Alexis". As the winner by calculated time in the ORC Club classification on the small course, "Maila" took home an island flag and the Eduard Schilling Memorial Prize. As the best ORC International yacht on the small course, "Alexis" also won an island flag and the Cheerio Memorial Prize. "The starts were great. The standard increased from start to start, from the family cruisers at the beginning to the big ones in Group Five. The last two starts were close, but it went well," said Albert Schweizer shortly after the last start. With around twelve knots of wind and only light cloud cover, there was plenty of sailing fun for the athletes. Click here for the results of the Capitell Cup round Helgoland (please click!).

The 87th North Sea Week continues to celebrate sailing at a high level on Whit Monday. With the Helgoland Eight and the return regattas, the participants bid farewell to the island in several stages, where organisation manager Marcus Boehlich and the entire team of the North Sea Week Regatta Association will draw a consistently positive balance. On Whit Monday afternoon, the starting signal is given for the eagerly awaited classic: the Pantaenius Rund Skagen Regatta begins at 4.30 pm.