"I christen you Einstein," said Annie Lush, pouring champagne over the bow of the GER 21. Following an extensive refit, the boat of Offshore Team Germany, which intends to take part in The Ocean Race in 2021, was officially unveiled in Kiel today. Once again, the team chose a great name from German history: the team's Mini 6.50 was christened "Lilienthal", at the time alluding to the planned first flying Mini in the class.
"Einstein sailed in Berlin and Kiel," says team manager Jens Kuphal from Berlin, explaining the reason for the name. "In many ways, he set a course that needs to be emulated. The visionary spirit that carries his ideas into the world and the connection between Berlin and Kiel make the GER 21 an 'Einstein'".
Godmother Lush is part of the crew, and Kiel's Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer gave a welcoming address. He said it was an honour for the city that the ceremony was taking place in Kiel. "2002 is a date in the city's history, sailing is Kiel's DNA," said Kämpfer. In 2002, the "illbruck" sailed triumphantly into Kiel.
Her owner and initiator at the time, Michael Illbruck, sent greetings via video message. "All of the crew at the time say that this arrival is still their greatest sailing experience, despite the America's Cup or other similar events," says Illbruck. "It was our moon landing." He also wished Offshore Team Germany luck with the upcoming search for sponsors and was visibly moved that almost two decades after his campaign, a German team wants to attempt the start of the legendary race again. "What a blast. Thank goodness someone is doing it," said Illbruck.
However, participation in The Ocean Race was not initially on the agenda for Offshore Team Germany. When the team was founded in 2017, the initial plan was to refit the boat extensively and make it competitive for the Vendée Globe, the single-handed non-stop regatta around the world, by making some radical changes. This may sound audacious in view of the then almost ten-year-old design, but two technical changes gave the old "Acciona" new potential. Due to many keel losses and mast breakages, the Imocas class association decided to introduce standard keels and masts for new builds. At the same time, foils were introduced. However, the ex-"Acciona" is subject to the so-called grandfathering rule, a form of grandfathering, as it was built before the rule change - it is still allowed to have a different keel and mast. If this boat were now fitted with a stronger mast than is permitted for new builds and also with foils, it would be able to convert more pressure than the new builds and thus compensate for a supposed design disadvantage. It seemed to be a stroke of genius.
However, the format changed with the withdrawal of main sponsor Volvo from the Ocean Race. The single-class Volvo 65 yachts used in the last two editions will be crewed by junior crews, and the Imocas will also be competing for the first time, not single-handed but with a crew. This opened up two theoretical starting options for Offshore Team Germany: competing with the same boat in the Vendée Globe and in The Ocean Race.
However, time was running out before the Vendée Globe, which starts next year. New foils would have had to be ordered, the pair from 500,000 euros upwards, plus a new mast, over 300,000 euros, plus sails and the costs for the ongoing refit of the boat - an almost impossible task for the still young team without strong sponsors in the time remaining. In addition, the mast could not have been used in the subsequent Ocean Race, as standardised wing masts will be mandatory there. And it was also not clear whether the foils would still be competitive in view of their rapid development. So the initiators decided to focus entirely on The Ocean Race.
On-board visit to Offshore Team Germany
However, the ship has not yet sailed for the GER 21 in terms of the Vendée Globe. There are people interested in the boat, mostly French skippers who are authorised to race and also sponsors, but no boat. They want to charter the GER 21 for the Vendée. "That would help us a lot with further financing," says Kuphal, as the charterer would cover the costs for foils and mast. "But we would also have to hand over the boat for at least a year and a half, we wouldn't know in what condition we would get it back and we would lose valuable preparation time for The Ocean Race." The decision on this matter will be made over the summer.
After a two-stage refit, not much more remained of the original than the hull and deck shell. The composite work was carried out in Portugal by Trimarine, while the interior work and installations were carried out by Joff Brown's Lighthouse shipyard in Gosport, England. Brown had previously supervised the construction of the "Hugo Boss 6", which is regarded as the fastest Open 60 to date.
The conversion measures were aimed at improving operability for a crew of several and increasing speed. The cabin superstructure was extended by large windows, raised and extended aft to provide greater headroom, better protection and better visibility for the crew working below, while at the same time the grinder was moved slightly further forward under this superstructure.
Below deck, the central water ballast tank has disappeared and has been replaced by a brand new diesel engine and other technical installations such as the hydraulic pump and watermaker. Instead, the side ballast tanks were enlarged and extended aft so that one tonne of water can now be stored in each. The lost keel was manufactured from a single piece of steel at ThyssenKrupp in France, as now prescribed, along with a new lead bomb. The boat looks like a new build on and below deck.
What is missing is a new mast tube and the foils. First of all, a second-hand mast was bought from the French team PRB to get the boat going. This was particularly important to Kuphal. "If you want to convince sponsors," says the team manager, "you can't just come up with plans. The project has to be tangible. We can now take interested parties with us, and I am convinced they will be just as enthusiastic as we are."
Thanks to this decision, the boat was also able to sail on its own keel from Gosport to Kiel for the christening and Kieler Woche.
Kuphal even considers the fact that there are no foils on the fuselage to be a stroke of luck. "We wouldn't even know which foils to buy at the moment." Until now, these attachments for the Imocas have only been developed for the Vendée Globe. Its route is determined by a large number of space-sheet sections in strong winds, especially in the Southern Ocean. The foils can be a real advantage here. However, the fifth generation has already been in use since the first missions, and they are constantly being developed further.
The Ocean Race, however, leads in stages around the world, often from north to south and vice versa, with many upwind and downwind sections. It is not yet clear whether the current foils are an advantage or what shape they should take. "It may even be that centreboards, similar to the ones we have now, would be the better choice," says Kuphal. However, these are not permitted; foils must be installed. "I'm quite happy that we don't have to make a decision yet and can wait and see how things develop."
When selecting the crew, the team focusses on development work and cooperates with the German Sailing Association. In addition to young German talents such as Morten Bogacki, Phillip Kasüske and Fabian Graf, experienced offshore professionals have been recruited for Kieler Woche and the Rolex Fastnet Race. These include Brit Annie Lush, two-time participant in the Volvo Ocean Race (SCA, Brunel), Frenchman Nicolas Lunven, winner of the Solitaire du Figaro and two-time navigator in the Volvo Ocean Race (Mapfre, Turn the Tide on Plastic) and New Zealander Conrad Colman, who lost his mast in the 2017 Vendée Globe but reached the finish under emergency rigging.
Participation in the Rolex Fastnet Race marks the end of the first phase of The Ocean Race project. From then on, financing will have to come from sponsorship.
This article contains extracts from an article about Offshore Team Germany. You can read the full article in YACHT 14/2019, available to subscribers from 22 June, at newsagents from 26 June or order it here. Click here for the digital edition.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
