"We haven't had such a sunny North Sea week for a long time," said organisation manager Bernd Jörg, who was delighted with the almost 150 participating yachts. There were some new features for them this year.
The première of the sporty Early Bird series, as well as a classic group competing for the first time, and the feeder regatta from Hallig Hooge were enthusiastically received.
Christian Plump and the "Beluga" crew won the North Sea Cup. On Whit Monday, 65 crews started the long-distance race Pantaenius Rund Skagen.
Heligoland, 12 May 2008 - The water rippled slightly and the freshening
breeze from the north-north-east pushed the field of 65 yachts across the starting
the starting line for the Pantaenius Rund Skagen race on Whit Monday.
There were no storms or spray on Heligoland this year.
The attempt to beat the record time set by Klaus Murmann in 2000 was nipped in the bud by the light wind. But
the potential record chasers "Calypso", an 86-foot yacht from Gerd Clausen (Hamburg) as the largest yacht (26 metres) in the race, and the Volvo 60 yacht "SEB 1 Jever" from Ralf Kudra (Rostock) made an impressive impression at the start even without a chance of breaking the record. Above all, the green sail of the "Jever" quickly disappeared on the horizon.
For Harald Baum, owner of the supporting company Pantaenius, this year's
this year's long distance is an anniversary. For the 25th time, the Hamburg
insurance broker is taking part in the 510-mile race from Helgoland
Helgoland around the northern tip of Denmark to Kiel. "This regatta is so special because all weather conditions are possible, from storm to calm.
calm. We've even travelled for a whole week once," says the jubilarian, who competes on the Swan 48 "Elan" with his sailing-loving family.
"The race will be a poker game," also surmised the winner of the 2006 Pantaenius Rund Skagen race, Olaf Behrens. For the Hamburg-based owner of the Dufour 40 "Rave", the winner will be the one with the best instinct for a good weather forecast.
The "Beijamar" is the smallest yacht in the race. The Hamburg-based Henrik
Masekowitz from Hamburg sailed the single-handed regatta "Mini-Transat" from France to Brazil last year with the racer, which is only 6.50 metres long, and has now started double-handed to Kiel with his colleague Oliver Schmidt-Rybandt.
A fleet tracker, which can be tracked via the Internet, ensures transparency.
for transparency. "This makes the race comprehensible for outsiders
outsiders," says Bernd Jörg, Head of Organisation for the North Sea Week,
"We want this service to appeal to everyone who can't be on the water". If the wind plays along reasonably well, the first yachts are expected at the Kiel lighthouse from Wednesday.
The "hanseboot Acht" of the North Sea Week was also held on Whit Monday under a
under a bright blue sky and an initially rather light breeze.
started. This meant that the participating yachts once again had to put their
sailing skills in light and shifting winds.
winds. Race officer Stefan Lehnert had steered the course eastwards around the
around the dune.
In the ORC Int. 1 class, the ships from Bremen were ahead this time. The "Xenia" with helmsman Ralf Lässig was the first to cross the finish line ahead of Christian Plump's "Beluga Sailing Team". This was enough for Plump to win the North Sea Cup, which is regarded as the overall victory of the North Sea Week. Andreas Wulfes' "Passion" from Oyten was the first yacht to finish the hanseboot Acht in the ORCi 3 + 4 class.
There were also beaming faces on board Martin Gebhardt's Hamburg-based "Bonni Lady", which won the race in the Family Cruiser group. Skipper Gebhardt summed it up accordingly enthusiastically: "For us, this victory is the crowning glory of a marvellous North Sea week." However, the overall victory in the Family Cruiser Cup went to the crew of Heiko Steppat's "Tante Schmidt" from Husum for the third time in a row.
For the first time, the early bird series for ambitious crews
ambitious crews. This included the "Sundowner" regatta from Cuxhaven to Helgoland on Friday evening and the two short-distance races on Saturday. The Flensburg crew led by Christoph Avenarius on the "Ilvitello" won this series in the ORC Int. 1 class. The small class of ORC Club 2+3 yachts was won by Matthias Bröker's "Pyleia" from Bremen. "The new series was enthusiastically received by the ten crews that started and forms a cornerstone for the coming years," said co-initiator Thorsten Conradi.
Also new was the feeder regatta from the North Frisian island of Hallig
Hooge, which Harry Diedrichsen's "Rebel" won ahead of the two competitors.
was able to win ahead of both competitors. "We will certainly be able to inspire more starters in the coming years and continuously expand this race," said Olaf Nickel from Westerland/Sylt.
The launch of a separate classics group was also a first for the
North Sea Week. "Although only three ships have started for the time being
a start has been made, and hopefully many more crews will join in the coming
crews will hopefully be added in the coming years," says Christoph von Reibnitz, the initiator
promoting the idea. In addition to the "Peter von Seestermühe", "Anita" and "Kornia", which also sailed, three other beauties took part as spectator ships: "Die Germania", "Senta" and "Athena" rounded off the picture of classic ships.
The eliminations for the Commodores Cup, on the other hand, did not become the focus of the North Sea Week, as the two Class 1 yachts "Ilvitello" and "Inshallah" competed against each other, but there were no entries in the smaller classes.
classes, so that there was no team for the Commodores Cup 2008.
Due to the tide, the return races will not start until Tuesday this year.
start.
Further information, results and the race tracker of the Pantaenius Round Skagen Race at www.nordseewoche.org
Lasse Johannsen
Deputy Editor in Chief YACHT
