There wasn't much going on on the regatta courses off Kiel yesterday. Only the lightweights managed to get two races in. The sea sailors also suffered from the calm. On the other hand, there was a lot going on ashore.
There wasn't much going on on the regatta courses off Kiel yesterday. Only the lightweights managed to get two races in. The sea sailors also suffered from the calm. On the other hand, there was a lot going on ashore.
Thanks to the thermals on the courses close to the shore, at least the Europe and Yngling ladies as well as the Laser and 2.4 mR sailors could be sent out onto the water. In the 49ers, on the other hand, there was only enough wind for the first two groups and the third group did not even set off. Kristin Wagner in the Yngling was able to record the only victory of the day from a German perspective. The class is still led by Dørte Jensen from Denmark, followed by Ulrike Schümann and her crew.
In Europe, Petra Niemann was able to draw level with the leader Monika Bronicka from Poland. Heiko Kröger, on the other hand, did worse on the 2.4 mR, dropping back to second place behind Dutchman Thierry Schmitter. Sweden's Daniel Bigmark and Australia's Michael Blackburn are currently leading the Laser field on equal points. The best German Laser sailor is currently Tobias Schadewaldt in 31st place.
The tall ship crews first had to be patient yesterday. They bobbed around in the doldrums for hours before the starting gun was finally fired. However, the men of the "Extasy" around skipper Thomas Brügge did not want to wait for it and made a premature start, which ultimately cost them the win of the Kiel Cup, the first part of the International German Championship. In the overall classification, they are now half a point behind the leading "L & M Hispaniola" of Horst Mann.
In IDM Group 2, Torsten Bastiansen's "Sailtron X Press" continues to outpace last year's winner, Jan Hinrichs' "Lollipop". The gap between the two boats is now six points. And in IDM Group 3 + 4, Detlef Amlong's "Froschkönig" has also extended its lead.
Nevertheless, anything is still possible. Saturday will be exciting. That's when the yachts will be sent to Fehmarn for the long haul. And then it will also be decided which crews will actually end up at the top of the IDM winner's podium.
Yesterday was at least as exciting on land as it was on the water. Emotions continued to run high over Jochen Schümann's complaint about the lack of professionalism in German sailing (see also today's YACHT coastal gossip). Fortunately, there was no sign of this in the evening when the German flagship sailor received the YACHT Trophy from Olaf Kleinelanghorst, head of Delius Klasing Verlag, at the Kiel Yacht Club. Schümann was honoured as the best sailor of the year for his achievements in the Alinghi team.
In the morning, there was also further confusion among the star boats outside on the Olympic site in Schilksee as to whether or not the crews were allowed to exceed a certain maximum weight. They were weighed. But firstly, not all crews turned up for the weigh-in. And secondly, the class association was called in by jury chief Jörn Richter regarding the process. Their legal committee is now tasked with clarifying the situation. Incidentally, almost all those who dared to go to the scales came away with positive results. Only one crew was found to be too heavy.
One man's joy is another man's sorrow - this also applies to the question of which Olympic classes will still exist in the future. While the windsurfers no longer have to worry about whether they will still be eligible for the rings after 2008, either the Laser or Finn sailors are threatened with the end of the Games. Although the decision will not be made until autumn 2008, DSV President Dierk Thomsen has already pointed the way: "A greater difference is desired for the single-handed dinghy. It will therefore have to be checked whether the Finn or the Laser fits better into the programme," he is quoted as saying today by the "Kieler Nachrichten". Nevertheless, every class must expect that there will be a discussion about whether it should remain in the Olympic programme.
Finally, let's look ahead: race director Dieter Rümmeli was optimistic yesterday and hopes that the wind will return to the fjord with the arrival of summer.
Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
