Eight racy keelboats and their crews sailed to the first Dehler summit in the Mittelmole marina. The regatta offered all the fun that comes with a single class. There were tight finishes and close duels in both races. In the coastal race, the winner "Play Time" and the second-placed "Power Play" were separated by less than a minute at the finish. The "Tutto Bene" came in third. In the offshore race, the crew of the victorious "Power Play" brought the bow tip across the line just four minutes ahead of their closest rival "Play Harder".
Crews of four had to sail without water ballast
Martin Kringel and Thomas Scholz on "Power Play" came out on top in the overall standings. Second place went to "Play Time" with Thomas Schurig, Björn Dämmen, Thomas Jünnemann and Alexander Busher ahead of the "Play Harder" of Dirk Tschierschke and Christopher Gerth with Martin Buck. The Dehler 30od yachts were sailed by crews of two to four. With full crew strength, they had to be sailed without water ballast. Click here for the individual and overall results. And here is the comprehensive YACHT video test of the Dehler 30od, which the editorial crew had already documented extensively for the market launch in 2019.
Kalle Dehler: "Courage is also part of standardised class sailing"
"The teams had great fun at this championship, crossing the finish line every minute," says Kalle Dehler. His bow to the participating teams: "One-design sailing also requires courage." One-design regattas don't reward design advantages or the best sides of boats in certain wind and weather conditions. They focus purely on sailing performance. However, this often makes the interaction between the crews more intense.
Oliver Denzer: "The knot has finally burst after the coronavirus pandemic"
"The atmosphere in the class is really good," says Oliver Denzer after a full day. The chairman of the class association sailed along himself and says that he almost said goodbye with tears in his eyes as he looked at the boats lying harmoniously at the dock. "The knot has finally burst after the coronavirus pandemic. Every single person came to Alex Busher, who had taken over the organisation, and me to say thank you."
With full KV coffers, the class association had waived the entry fee and created conditions for indulgence. "The format was also very well received," says Denzer. Due to the sometimes light winds, the Coastal Race was shortened to a three- to four-hour race. The offshore race challenged the crews for up to eight and a half hours. The International Dehler 30od Baltic Championship is to be held annually in future and possibly expanded to include an optional short race. The event could be held in Denmark as early as 2024 after another stop in the Baltic Sea next year.
Into the future with valuable tips from veterans
Dehler fans are convinced that the coronavirus pandemic has delayed the launch of the class, but cannot slow down its success. Build number 62 is currently being delivered to Thailand. The 63 is going to Japan. "In the next step, we will have more boats from neighbouring Baltic countries next year," says Denzer. He himself came eighth in the championship with his crew without much regatta experience, enjoying the sport of sailing and learning a lot in the process. "There were some very experienced people at the start," says Oliver Denzer, "and we got valuable tips from them."
