Jochen Schümann was one of the first to be informed by Fresh 17 CFO Uwe Sasse about the positive turn of events regarding Germany's participation in the America's Cup.
And it was not without reason that he named him as one of the important people in the background during the public announcement. He motivated, advised and opened doors.
Schümann brought Willy Kuhweide into the picture and confirmed him, which had so far turned out to be a very good decision. Kuhweide exuded boundless optimism during his tour of the nation, when he approached eleven sailing clubs. Even when failure became more and more likely.
And Schümann encouraged his friend Jesper Bank to take on the role of skipper when he asked him for advice. His positive assessment of the team led by Uwe Sasse, Andreas John and Eberhard Magg convinced the Dane.
Schümann therefore followed the announcement of the first German America's campaign with extreme satisfaction. "I'm delighted that the great performance of all those involved has been rewarded in the end," the Olympic champion, who is currently bedridden due to an intestinal infection, told YACHT online.
"Everyone kept at it right to the end and finally achieved well-deserved success." The participation of a German team in the America's Cup can be seen as a breakthrough for the public perception of sailing. "This is a great opportunity to raise the profile of the sailing industry in Germany."
But those involved should not sit back and relax. The hard work is only just beginning. More sponsors need to be brought on board. "The start has been made, and this will result in further great opportunities."
Alinghi could be a role model. After Ernesto Bertarelli secured the budget, more and more companies joined in, so that the syndicate was ultimately more than 50 per cent externally financed.
The master does not see the planned one-boat campaign as a problem. "The Version 5 rule develops very comparable hulls. You just have to find a good training partner."
Schümann did not rule out that this could be Alinghi, but there is of course more to gain for the Cup defender in comparison to a more developed team. A number of comparative races with BMW Oracle have already taken place in Valencia.
"It makes sense for the smaller teams to work together a lot. Maybe then it will turn out that there's a big one there."
