Doublehand European Championship: In Danish flat poker - bronze for "Lightworks"

The light winds, which have tested the crews on the current final Ocean Race leg as well as the athletes at the 129th Kieler Woche and even the SailGP professionals in Chicago last weekend, have also severely tested the double-handed crews at the Doublehanded European Championship. 40 boats turned up for the continental championship for sailing duos in Helsingør.

Strip anchoring was required" (Arno Böhnert)

Arno Böhnert and Christian Heermann competed in Class A at the Doublehand European Championships with the First 36 "Salicornia", but could not be satisfied with eighth place in the end. They had been in first place in their group for a long time. But then the duo got stuck in Grønsund, which was almost completely windless and caused despair among some of the other teams. "We didn't make the last corner. We were 200 metres short of where others could make it. In the end, we crossed the finish line 15 hours after Landmark 43 'White Shadow'. That was very, very frustrating," reported Arno Böhnert.

Böhnert also reported on how some of the competitors tackled the persistent doldrums: "The crew of the Farr 30, which came second in Class B, said that they anchored a total of eight times! They sailed from stripe to stripe. Strip anchoring was required." The "Salicornia" crew itself was already 20 metres under land and was only able to free itself from the involuntary anchorage when it was safe to do so in order to avoid drifting directly onto the shore.

80 per cent of the time we experienced winds below seven knots" (Michael Höfgen)

In Class B, Michael Höfen and Jasper Marwege took on the challenge with their JPK 10.30 "Lightworks", as did Lina Rixgens and Sverre Reinke on the Dehler 30 OD "Crazy Boats". In Class C, Detlef and Morten Göpfert on the Dehler 38C "Uminoko" and Martin Fürst/Nathan Lauer on the First 31.7 "Meister Hora" were in action and finished the race in fifth and eighth place. The five German boats made up a sixth of the starting field and felt well looked after by Robert Jacobsen from the German Sailing Association on site. "We had really great support," said Michael Höfgen.

Only one GER team made it onto the podium on the "sea course", which was shortened in light winds and covered around 260 nautical miles: Michael Höfgen and Jasper Marwege took European Championship bronze on the course around Anholt, through the Great Belt and back down via Copenhagen to Helsingør. The duo were particularly pleased about this, as the JPKs did not find their "chocolate conditions" in the light winds. "About 80 per cent of the time we experienced winds under seven knots. Others, such as the Farr, are favoured," Michael Höfgen knew even before the start.

There were also a few really good moves" (Lina Rixgens)

The European Championship course may not have been a "real" offshore course, but it did include a few fast sections despite the light summer winds. Michael Höfgen, who was runner-up in the two-handed world championship with Max Gurgel in 2022, said: "It was really fun from Anholt into the Belt. Under A2, staysail and reefed in fresh winds and gusts of up to 25 knots, we sometimes had 17 or 18 knots on the clock."

Sverre Reinke and Lina Rixgens sailed to fifth place in their first two-handed regatta together this season. "We're not completely satisfied with that, we had hoped for a bit more. But there were also a few good moves," said Lina Rixgens. The mixed team had fun on the section from Anholt to Samsø, where they made good progress. The fact that they were beaten by the Norwegian Dehler sister "Hyrrokin" came as no surprise to the German mixed crew. Lina Rixgens said: "The Norwegian Dehler is totally optimised for ORC. There's really nothing left inside."

Near-term goal is the German Doublehand Championship at the Travemünde Week

So it's no wonder that Michael Höfgen told us how impressed he was by the Dehlers: "The Dehlers were really strong. It's amazing how they have developed positively in terms of handling and boat speed in recent years." Höfgen says that his own JPK, on the other hand, "only really shows its strengths above 15 knots". Which is why the double-handed enthusiast from Munich was extremely satisfied with his podium finish at the European Championships in Denmark.

The overall verdict was not only positive for the European Championship bronze medallists: "The European Championship was well organised. It may not have been a real offshore event, but rather a race like the Vegvisier Race, but it was fun." For Michael Höfgen, after the European Championship is already before the ORC World Championship in Kiel at the beginning of August. He wants to start there with a crew of five or six on the "Lightworks". "I'm curious," says Höfgen, "how the JPK will do there. The up & downs don't suit us so much, but the coastals do."

Höfgen and other German double-handed sailors already have their sights set on next year's Doublehanded World Championship in Oslo. The short-term goal of the sailing duos is the German Doublehanded Championship during the Travemünde Week.

Click here for the results of the two-handed European Championships in Helsingør.