At the end, there were la-ola waves for the crew with helmsman Dan Pedersen. When race officer Stefan Lehnert cancelled the final race due to decreasing wind, the IMX 45 "Alice" was crowned German champion of the IMS I class.
Last year's winner, the Dehler 39 "Lollipop", prevailed in the combined field of Class 2 to 4 yachts. The other crews applauded on the water. So the bulk of the regatta season is already behind the tall ship racers. Helgoland was the finale of an intense spring.
Other crews on Heligoland seemed to want to make up the miles of the champion sailors in one go. They set off on the 520-nautical-mile long-distance race around Skagen while the champions' party was still raging in the tent in the south harbour. The first yachts are not expected at the finish in Kiel until tonight.
Software magnate Hasso Plattner won the traditional Rund Helgoland regatta in the large class with his Baltic 70 "Loftfari". He and his expert crew raced around the red rock in just over three hours. Around 140 yachts followed in Plattner's footsteps on two courses around the island.
The "slimmed-down" IMS measurement system ORC Club was very popular. As there were two classifications and sailing in many classes, the result structure of the North Sea Week is of course somewhat confusing, as is quite usual and almost desirable for the diverse event on the North Sea.
Lehnert: "Hardly any other regatta has such a broad spectrum to offer. There is something for every taste and every level of ability on Heligoland."
Results under www.nordseewoche.org
