Kieler Woche has already lost its new regatta director again: On Thursday it became public that Peter Ramcke has resigned from his position "for personal reasons" with immediate effect after just one year. It was only this summer that Ramcke took over the demanding honorary position from his predecessor Jobst Richter. Richter is now stepping in again as interim advisor, but immediately signalled that he had no long-term ambitions to become "my successor's successor".
Ramcke cited his career prospects colliding with the high demands of the honorary position as the reason for his resignation. The management consultant and project manager said that he was "very busy professionally" and explained: "It is highly likely that my professional projects will not be in Kiel in the future. My job and voluntary work can therefore no longer be reconciled." Ramcke's decision could spark a new debate on the topic of voluntary work, which is still indispensable in many organisations, but can rarely be successfully carried out in leading positions on a part-time basis.
The management of Kieler Woche marketer Point of Sailing (POS) reacted rationally to the resignation. Managing Director Nikolaus Rickers said that Kiel Week must be managed professionally and full-time in the future. Rickers and Ramcke are both of the opinion that the management of Kiel Week can no longer be carried out on a voluntary basis. Rickers outlined a possible approach for the future: "We need to think about transferring more tasks to the main office and only having a volunteer head for the strategic direction." Rickers also emphasised that the strategy must be aligned with the course of the International Sailing Federation (Isaf) in particular. In doing so, he made a link to the recent setbacks suffered in Kiel. The persistent lack of consideration in the awarding of World Cup hosting rights has recently taken its toll on Kiel's pride and also on the number of entries. As the only European location for Olympic and international regattas under one roof, Kiel was not even considered when it came to awarding qualification regattas for the World Cup.
Ramcke said that the biggest task for Kieler Woche in the future would be to manage the balancing act between a professional regatta and a good programme for amateur athletes. His recommendation, which he left behind with his farewell: "The organisation of the performance area on the water has been very successful, as has the media presentation. Now it is important not to lose the sailors on land and to put them even more at the centre. This is a paradigm shift that can be better achieved with new minds." Ramcke described it as a "major task" to rally the entire KiWo team with its 300 or so volunteers behind the management during Kiel Week and continue to spur them on to top performance. In other words: He himself does not seem to have succeeded in this as desired.
The Kieler Woche press release also criticises Ramcke. Referring to Ramcke's reference, it says: "The fact that a proper handover of office has not been achieved for this step (editor's note: refers to the successful team management) is at least critical." However, the final comment in the press release also expresses the organisers' relief at the interim solution that has been found: "However, a good temporary solution has been found with Jobst Richter, who is available for a transitional phase - possibly even until Kiel Week - and has received the support of his family."
Richter's partial comeback is obviously more than welcome in Kiel. For a comeback on the world stage of sailing, however, Kieler Woche, which former Isaf President Paul Henderson once described as the "mother and father of all regattas", will have to come up with more than just a sympathetic and sensible Richter rescue manoeuvre. This is especially true at a time when Kiel is trying to make a name for itself as an ideal partner for potential German Olympic bidders.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
