The German Offshore Award has often surprised people in the past. This was also the case with this 16th edition, which was celebrated in the imposing Great Hall of Hamburg City Hall with around 300 guests from the world of sailing. The prize for Germany's best offshore yacht went to Carl-Peter Forster's TP52 "Red Bandit" from the Bavarian Yacht Club for sixth place in the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2022.
"Red Bandit" passes world and European champions
The JPK 10.30 "Hinden", with which Jonas Hallberg and Till Barth won the Doublehanded World Championship at the classic Gotland Runt in 2022 after a furious race, was also nominated. Jens Kuphal's Landmark 43 "Intermezzo" (Berlin Yacht Club) and Holger Streckenbach's TP52 "Imagine" (Greifswald Yacht Club) were also nominated.
Jens Kuphal's crew, whose core members Robert Stanjek, Phillip Kasüske and Annie Lush are currently on the final leg of the Ocean Race with Guyot Environnement - Team Europe, won the ORCi European Championship in Class B in Hankø, Norway. Holger Streckenbach's "Imagine" family crew sailed to third place in the European Championship. The fifth nominated boat was the Swan 48 "Elan", with which skipper Daniel Baum and his crew had won the German regatta classic Pantaenius Rund Skagen after a strong performance.
On the road to success with a foundation
However, the German Offshore Award went to the TP52 "Red Bandit", whose crew, most of whom come from the Bavarian Yacht Club, successfully took part in numerous regattas in the Mediterranean last year. The 14-strong young amateur team repeatedly beat experienced international teams. Previously used as the "Mean Machine" and later as the "Audi quattro", the boat, which was built in 2008, was used on behalf of the ForStar Foundation set up by Carl-Peter Forster.
The foundation offers young sailors an excellent opportunity to compete in the premier league of offshore sailing, said State Councillor Christoph Holstein in his laudatory speech. He continued: "This ship enables experienced dinghy sailors to contribute their expertise in an environment that is new to them, to expand their sailing skills and to learn real teamwork."
The formula for the German Offshore Award
A jury made up of representatives from the major Hamburg sailing clubs and chaired by the Hamburg Sailing Association is responsible for awarding the prize and selecting Germany's best ocean-going yacht. The basis for determining the winning yacht is a complex formula that takes into account various factors such as the degree of difficulty of the regatta, the number of participants entered, the weather and wind conditions and the result in the overall classification. Decisive factors in the classification are the length of the regatta course in nautical miles and the number of competitors. On this basis, the "Red Bandit" came out on top just ahead of the world champion boat "Hinden".
93-year-old Felix Scheder-Bieschin received the Life Time Award for his lifetime achievement as a sailor,who helped shape the German ocean sailing scene as an active regatta sailor for decades. Through his commitment to youth work in the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV), his support for the Hamburgischer Verein Seefahrt (HVS) and the Hochseesegeln Foundation, which he initiated, the passionate sea sailor made and continues to make a major contribution to securing the long-term training of future generations of sailors.
New opportunities for young offshore talent
The "Wings of Wismar" crew won the Wehring & Wolfes Youth Prize for their successful youth work and their good performance in the Commodore Cup from Kiel to Travemünde. The regatta, organised under the leadership of the HVS by the major North German training clubs, is aimed specifically at junior crews. Last year, yachts with a good 150 young sailors and young adults took part on the first weekend in October.
DSV President Mona Küppers emphasised the success of this new regatta format for young German offshore sailors in her welcoming address. "In order to further promote sailing and, above all, the training of the next generation, the DSV will charter a yacht for the Commodore Cup and send it into the race with a young crew of equal numbers," she announced.
Offshore sailor Sanni Beucke provided a cheerful highlight of the evening, reporting on her first leg of The Ocean Race with a video message from on board the "Holcim-PRB", which was specially created for the German Offshore Award. The Kiel native, who won the silver medal in the 49er FX at the Tokyo Olympics together with helmswoman Tina Lutz, reported on constant trimming manoeuvres, cold Atlantic showers and revealed that she was most looking forward to a hot shower after arriving in Cape Town.
