For days, their sports equipment lay on its side in the north boathouse in Schilksee. Instead of tiller and sheet on the water, Marcus Baur from Kiel and Max Groy from Fleckeby held a pencil and ruler in their hands and measured the mast settings on the 49er planing dinghy. The reason: foreskipper Groy had contracted blood poisoning as a result of a minor hand injury.
He had to stop training for ten days. But it's back on today. The reigning European champions start their home match at the 122nd Kieler Woche.
"We're already very excited to finally go sailing again," says 31-year-old Baur, who is looking forward to the appearance on his doorstep. The architect had made a virtue of necessity and used the forced break for necessary work on the boat. But the fresh to strong winds of the past few days on the Bay of Kiel had gradually caused his adrenalin levels to rise. The last test on Tuesday went without any major problems. "The most important thing is that Max is fully recovered," says the helmsman, as the common goal is the Olympic Games in Athens in August.
Ever since winning bronze at the World Championships on the same turf, when Baur/Groy still had to keep an eye on the national elimination against the Hamburg Peckholt brothers, they have been regarded as Germany's number one medal hope. "If things go very well, we could even win gold, but it could just as easily be seventh or eighth place," says Marcus Baur, assessing his own chances. At least ten nations have what it takes to make the top three.
"I'm confident that the boys will finish on the podium in Kiel and Athens, because they are working professionally and conscientiously to achieve success." The praise comes from the mouth of Professor Detlef Uthoff, himself a passionate tennis player at a high level and a well-known figure in his specialist field of eye surgery. The Medical Director of the Bellevue Eye Clinic in Kiel took over the main sponsorship of the promising 49ers team in autumn 2002 out of conviction. Uthoff: "Our international aspirations and commitment to the region are a perfect match for this sailing crew."
The support came just in time for Marcus Baur, who only narrowly missed out on a medal with Philipp Barth in Sydney in 2000, and his new, ten-year-younger coxswain. "The standard at the top of the world has become even higher since the last Games, so only the teams with top equipment and maximum effort have a chance," explains the helmsman. Around ten masts tested in the past few months are just one example of how intensively "Operation Gold" is being pursued. Kieler Woche will also serve the team primarily as a material comparison.
Whether off Kiel or off the Acropolis, the 49ers will provide some of the most spectacular images of the eleven Olympic sailing disciplines. The oversized black, red and gold gennakers with the five rings to recognise the starting nation have already arrived. When Baur/Groy set one for a trial run on Tuesday, a touch of Olympic feeling immediately wafted over the Bay of Strande during Kieler Woche. The countdown to Athens 2004 is on.
Team website: www.saveourseas.de ; Sponsor website: www.Augenklinik-Bellevue.de
