After two coronavirus-related cancellations, the event is back on track for the anniversary. Starting in Cologne-Porz, the route covers around 185 kilometres down the Rhine, past industrial plants and cow pastures, through towns and countryside, stopping off at a different port every evening. For some boat owners, this is not only a competition but also a way to get to the Dutch summer sailing areas.
This year, to mark the 100th anniversary, the craning in of the larger boats will begin on the Thursday before Whitsun (2 June) in Cologne-Porz. On Friday, 3 June, they will sail from Porz via Leverkusen-Hitdorf to Düsseldorf, then on Saturday via Duisburg-Ruhrort to Wesel, then on Sunday with a lunch stop in Rees to Emmerich and finally on Monday to Arnhem (Netherlands).
100 years of Rhine Week - 1,000 stories
Long-time participant Ekkehard Schulz from the DSV (Düsseldorfer Segler Verein), who with his sailing yacht "Troll" belongs to the support boat fleet like no other, provides interesting insights:
There are still yellowed photos of the first Rhine Week 100 years ago in the club archives and countless anecdotes. Back then, the starting harbour was not yet reached by car and trailer, but a steamboat was used to tow you to regattas. There was no functional clothing like today. When it rained, you often didn't have a dry thread on your body, let alone dry provisions. The resourceful Mertens brothers packed everything in jam buckets, which were sealed watertight, and placed them in the bow and stern of their "twenty-two", the J racing dinghy, when they were looking for a suitable tow.
The 30 square metre inland keel class, L-boats and the boats that sailed according to yardstick were also popular, even if this was not yet the case at the time. On one occasion, a participant did not finish in the top places even after factoring in the allowance time factor. Attentive observers did not fail to notice that this boat stopped at Zons during the regatta to get fresh coffee and schnapps. To make up for this lack of time, the owner simply demanded more "chasing"!
There have always been discussions - and of course tough battles. It starts at the start in the current. Anyone crossing the line can only hope that the spinnaker wraps around the forestay of one of the competitors who has passed, breaks the tiller or "hits the helmsman with a blow", as Agnes Pauli used to say.
Shipping traffic has increased over the years, even if there are no longer the kilometre-long tows. If you strayed to the wrong side in those days, you no longer had to expect a prize. One sailor is even said to have changed sides once by travelling death-defyingly over the towing cable hanging under the water. The name will not be revealed.
Sailing on the Rhine means cruising. Some upstream sailors become so nervous when faced with the many sailors around them that they constantly give the caution signal. "The helmsmen are all experienced sailors," the water police once reassured him over the radio. When a pirate then passed him very closely to take advantage of the screw water, the Dutch captain was heard shouting in panic: "Kinderen, dit zijn Kinderen!"
At the finish line, the sailors discuss the day at the "men's roundabout" over a beer: could have, would have, anchor chain. A Rhine Week is also a very sociable event, a travelling circus that is in a different harbour every evening. Late at night, it's time to hit the hay. Gone are the days when people slept on air mattresses in gyms. Since the Rhine Week has been accompanied by the "Siebengebirge" and now the "Eureka", the standard has risen. There is a sleeping deck where the changing clothes are also stored.
Nevertheless, the logistics present clubs and participants with major challenges every year. Back then, when there was no shuttle service, a sailor asked "Troll" if he could take his toiletry bag with him. He brought a duffle bag containing an outboard motor. In the end, there were also a dozen travelling bags, sailing bags and duffle bags on deck and in the cabin.
You experience a lot when you have accompanied the Rhine Week for years. Sometimes even the television is on board. There are always great photo opportunities on the water.
In an emergency, however, things have to move quickly: A Shark with a broken rudder in front of a tanker travelling down a valley, a sea cruiser caught on a buoy, a pirate on a cribbe in onshore winds, a mast breakage on a Laser ... It's good when a DLRG or water rescue boat is on the scene. In the end, several casualties end up being towed to the next destination by one of the large escort boats. It's good to have a selection of spare parts and tools to hand.
100 years of Rhine Week, 1,000 stories, 15,000 kilometres of sporting sailing on the longest river regatta in Europe. An unforgettable experience for participants and spectators once again this year.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
