The 127th Kiel Week is underway: From the end of the Kiel Cup regatta to the start of the Starboat World Championships

After the international dinghy classes, the Kiel Cup sailors also honoured their winners. The crews had to master three light wind races on Wednesday. In ORC I, the world champions of the "semi-dry 4.5" were unbeatable. Michael Berghorn's eleven-strong crew on the Mills 45 Custom won the race with a fourth place and a total of three daily victories ahead of Gerd-Jan Poortman's Dutch Ker 46 "Van Uden" and Lars Hückstadt's XP-44 "X-Day". In the worryingly sparsely populated ORC II division, the teams on the X-41 "Xen-Sydbank" and the Farr 40 OD "Farr-Lässig" fought a duel, which Torsten Bastiansen's team for Flensborg Yacht Club clearly won with four victories in four races and thus also took the lead in the ORC I & II combined classification. In ORC III & IV, Kai Mares and his team on the Italia 9.98 "Immac Fram" (Kieler Yacht-Club) prevailed against Knut Freudenberg's First 36.7 "Halbtrocken" (Segler-Vereinigung Flensburg) and Uwe Kleinvogel's Projection 762 "Nemo" (Rostocker Yacht-Club).

Despite the beaming winners and motivated crews, one phenomenon could not be overlooked: Only a dozen boats in total took part in the Kiel Cup regatta of the 127th Kiel Week. Some of the missing starters may be due to the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the September date or the light winds that were already foreseeable at the weekend, but the mini-fields are alarming to say the least. "The trend has gone downhill, not least due to coronavirus," said Kai Mares in Kiel. The few regattas in 2020 and 2021 have also, according to some participants, led to a collapse in direct communication between the teams. Perhaps after the many cancellations in the series, a little confidence has also dwindled in being able to really plan for a series safely and without cancelling at short notice, because there is significantly more effort, logistics and crew planning behind a big boat project than behind a dinghy operation. Kieler Woche regatta director Dirk Ramhorst noted: "There are numerous yachts in the Olympic harbour alone that could take part." As many as 22 boats have registered for the International German Sailing Championships from 24 to 28 September. Click here for the results (please click!).

The end of the Kiel Cup regatta marked the long-awaited delayed start of the Star Boat World Championship. After the total cancellation of the first two days of racing, Wednesday also looked dull and difficult at first. However, the 83 crews persevered with the race organisers until the light wind accurately predicted by weather expert Meeno Schrader actually materialised. A slight ripple in the water, which approached the Olympic Centre from the east in the early afternoon, announced it to the 166 participants: Something's up! The fleet was already on the water at this point, as the race officer had given the signal to set sail half an hour earlier. "I've never done that before, sending a fleet out onto the duck pond," said Mandus Freese.

The only light wind race of the day released the fleet from the holding pattern. The breeze levelled out at five to six knots from the east in the starting area north of the Bülk lighthouse. At 3.50 pm we set off on the course. The first start attempt was a success - that's how much everyone was longing for a race. The fleet orientated itself to the right-hand side. The Hungarians Tibor Tenke and Miklos Bezereti were the first crew to tack to the right after the start and arrived at the windward mark in the top position. Behind them were two top teams, the favoured defending champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Prada (Poland/Brazil) and the co-favourites Diego Negri/Frithjof Kleen (Italy/Germany), who put pressure on the leaders on the downwind course.

Austrians win, the favourites score points

"Good cooperation between the helmsman and the foresailor is particularly important on the foreminder. We are well-rehearsed and feel comfortable in any wind," explained Frithjof Kleen, 2014 World Champion with Robert Stanjek and 2017 Star Sailors League final winner with British Laser Olympic champion Paul Goodison. Kleen is one of the world's best Star boat headsailors. His Italian helmsman Diego Negri, who has already finished on the World Championship podium four times, is hopeful that he can sail on the wave of success off Kiel: "With Frithjof, we are always good - no matter what the conditions."

In the close battle, Kusznierewicz and Prada initially looked like the winners. But shortly before the finish, the experienced Austrian Hansi Spitzauer, Finn World Champion in 1995 and third at the 2020 European Star Boat Championships, had a better nose for the wind. "Johann saw the wind from the right. We went to the side and it worked out well," said a delighted Hans-Christian Nehammer, the skipper, about the successful coup. The title defenders will get over the mini setback. They are counting on consistency in the series. Just like Diego Negri and Frithjof Kleen. The World Championship continues until Saturday. Click here for the results (please click!).