Fresh westerly winds with gusts of over 22 knots ensured a swift journey from Schleimünde to Ærøskøbing during the 43rd edition of the traditional sailing regatta. The 86-Fuß ‘UCA’, skippered by Gunnar Knierim, was the ‘First Ship Home’. Of the 103 yachts that started, 101 crossed the finish line.
Tobias Brinkmann won the ORC class on the Pogo RC “MarieJo”. Michael “Schmiddl” Schmidt took the Yardstick class on his classic ketch “Bounty”. “Despite the challenging weather conditions, all the crews completed the course without any problems. When a violent gust of wind built up just before the finish line, everyone managed to lower the spinnaker and gennaker in time and cross the line safely,” summarised Dieter Gast, managing director of Peter Gast Shipping.
Christian Gast, managing director of Peter Gast Shipping, adds: “Anyone who came ashore in Ærøskøbing on Saturday after the regatta either had a beaming smile on their face or was simply just glad to have solid ground under their feet again.”
As they sailed into the harbour, the yachts were greeted with loud cheers from numerous spectators. “Rarely have the participants enjoyed the welcome beer as much as they did this year,” reports Alexander Gast, chief organiser at Peter Gast Shipping. “For our guests who were taking part in a regatta for the first time, it was an exciting, sporting introduction to the world of sailing.”
A swift ride across the Baltic Sea
The tugboat operator Fairplay once again provided the start vessel, this year the “Fairplay 55”. Thanks to its height and the excellent all-round visibility this afforded, the vessel once again proved to be an outstanding base for the race committee led by Alexander Prinz zu Schleswig-Holstein of the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein.
After a short starting leg and a course taking them in various directions around fixed navigational marks, the yachts turned onto a downwind course at Skjoldnæs. Colourful spinnakers and gennakers were hoisted, though by no means by all the sailors. Quite a few skippers preferred to take it easy on both crew and equipment in the face of the gloomy clouds. The building swell demanded the crews’ full concentration and careful preparation for gybes.
“We set off in a 15-knot breeze, after which the wind steadily increased, accompanied by frequent rain showers. On the downwind leg, the wind picked up to 22 knots, with gusts even stronger. With strong swells, typical ‘sun-and-rain’ weather set in, meaning the regatta offered the guests ‘pure adventure’,” reports Alexander Prinz zu Schleswig-Holstein. “The fastest yacht was the ‘UCA’, with a sailing time of just three hours and three minutes.” No sooner had all the yachts moored in the harbour shortly after 3 pm than the weather cleared and the sun came out. Perfect for recovering from the ‘fast ride’ across the Baltic Sea in the cockpits of the yachts.
From Shanghai to the sailing regatta
A glance at the list of participants in the programme makes it clear: the race is becoming increasingly international. “Over the course of its more than 40-year history, the shipping regatta has developed from a regional event into an internationally renowned industry gathering,” says Christian Gast. “The longest journey was made by Henry Zhang from C-LNG in Shanghai, who travelled more than 10,000 kilometres to be here,” adds Alexander Gast. “We also had guests from Singapore, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland,” says Alexander Gast.
Dieter Gast is proud of the regatta’s growing international profile and appeal. At the same time, the event has become an important networking hub over the years. It is a concept that has since been adopted by other sectors as well. “When my father spontaneously launched the regatta with a few friends from the shipping industry, globalisation and the fast pace brought about by digitalisation were not yet so advanced,” says Dieter Gast. “Today, it is all the more important for people to meet and exchange ideas. Personal contact remains a vital foundation for business.”
From oilskins to the marquee
After the cheerful get-together in the harbour, the participants swapped their wet oilskins and boating boots for maritime party outfits. The autumnal temperatures made the note in the programme, ‘no shorts please’, redundant. Led by a marching band, the procession then set off on a tour through the narrow streets of the town to the large marquee at the harbour. That’s where the prize-giving ceremony and the party took place.
“It’s great to see how much the Ærø local community is looking forward to the annual regatta, with nearly 1,000 participants,” says Alexander Gast. “Many houses were decorated with pennants and Dannebrog flags. A warm welcome that underlines the decades-long connection between the regatta – which originated from a bet – and the municipality of Ærø.”
Sanni Beucke and Alexander Gast on the microphone
The awards ceremony was hosted by Olympian Sanni Beucke and Alexander Gast. The successful sailor was taking part in the Schiffahrtsregatta for the first time and sailed on the classic yacht ‘Peter von Seestermühe’ with skipper Christoph von Reibnitz. Rasmus Stute from the DNV, one of the main sponsors of the Peter Gast Schiffahrtsregatta, presented the Yardstick Overall Prize to Michael “Schmiddl” Schmidt. In his classic ketch “Bounty”, he not only left his rivals in the classic class classification behind him.
Second place in the Yardstick classification also went to a classic yacht, the “Peter von Seestermühe”, which also took second place in the classic yacht classification. Third place in the Yardstick classification went to Thorsten Studemund with the Jeanneau 53 “Norsche”. The prizes for the ORC overall classification were presented by Haspa board spokesman Harald Vogelsang. First place was secured by Tobias Brinkmann with the Pogo RC “MarieJo”. He sailed the boat alongside his father Berthold, Martin Bock and sailing journalist Svante Domizlaff. In second place was the Carkeek 47 “Störtebeker”, skippered by Torben Mühlbach, ahead of the Crest 901 “Frau Antje” with Holger Jacobs at the helm.
After a long night of partying to music by Max & Friends, the participants were treated to a special sight the next morning: Hapag-Lloyd’s cruise ship ‘MS Europa’ was anchored off the harbour.
Three clubs are making it happen
The sporting organisation of the regatta is made possible by three clubs: the Kieler Yacht-Club, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein and the Segel-Verein Altona-Oevelgönne (SVAOe). Whilst a joint team from the NRV and the Kieler Yacht-Club organised the starts, the SVAOe monitored the finishes and calculated the results using the Yardstick and ORC handicap formulas.
Uske Berndt
Editor News & Panorama