The 40th Championship of Champions 2021: Two young skiff sailors are the new "Champions of Champions"

They are both only 21 years old, but were able to successfully keep the favourites at bay at the championship summit of German sailing: Paul Pietzcker and Justus Joel Mickausch won the 40th Championship of Champions on Hamburg's Outer Alster. The crew from the Berlin Yacht Club and the Radolfzell Yacht Club had the Laser Bahia championship boats and the sometimes windy course under control. After the main round, the duo were still in third place behind the 470 routiners and co-favourites Malte Winkel and Matti Cipra as well as the Olympic experienced Tobias Schadewaldt with Juliane Adelssen. In the final triple race, Mickausch/Pietzcker were then able to beat the veterans in light winds in the only deciding race because they had chosen the right side of the course and were then able to extend their lead to the finish. Tobi Schadewaldt and Juliane Adelssen secured second place as the best mixed team this weekend ahead of Malte Winkel and Matti Cipra.

27 teams had registered for the season finale in the heart of Hamburg. Their results in twelve flights with a total of 36 races decided the top three for the final and the other places. In predominantly very light to light winds, the sailors enjoyed a beautiful autumn weekend in the Hanseatic city. Just how demanding the Laser Bahias can be was also demonstrated in the sunshine: the champion sailors had to put up with a total of three capsizes.

Co-favourites Wolfgang Hunger and Julian Kleiner had started the series strongly, but conceded too many points at the end of the main round and finished eighth. The "Alster queens" Luisa Krüger and Silke Basedow were also unable to fully capitalise on their home advantage this year, sailing to tenth place. Sailmaker, singer and Regnoc driver Frank Schönfeldt came 17th with co-pilot Anna Schönian, while the young 29er sailors Anton and Johann Sach, who have been so successful this year, came 20th, leaving seasoned grandmasters in their wake. "The two of them did very well and fought like lions," reports MdM press officer Pepe Hartmann from the organising Hamburg Sailing Club. Click here for the results (please click!).