Heaving a 45-foot carbon fibre cat with a wing rig around the buoys in force 5 winds on San Francisco Bay is a real man's sport - an adrenaline adventure for athletes and experts. However, there are currently only a few who have really mastered this game, and these are almost exclusively professional sailors who are under contract to the big teams. However, to ensure the continued existence of highly publicised catamaran regattas such as the America's Cup World Series, young talent is needed. And that is exactly what the Youth America's Cup is supposed to do.
This is why, in addition to the Germans, sailors from Argentina, Australia, Denmark, Great Britain, Italy, New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, South Africa and Switzerland will be invited to San Francisco in the coming weeks. Sailing will take place with six men and a "sailing instructor", who will teach the newcomers how to use these flotation devices properly.
A crew of seven, put together by Sailing Team Germany and the Norddeutscher Regatta-Verein under the leadership of project manager Markus Koy, will represent Germany's colours in the selection for the first Youth America's Cup. The nominated personnel: Erik Heil (helmsman), Philipp Buhl (skipper/tactics/wing trim), David Heitzig (runner), Max Boehme (headsail trim), Max Kohlhoff (bowman), Michael Seifarth (floater) and Justus Schmidt (substitute).
Even though Heil (49er) and Buhl (Laser), who occupy the key positions, are experienced and successful sailors in Olympic classes, the team lacks experience on extreme catamarans such as the AC45. "We are starting as clear outsiders as we have little catamaran experience," Koy realistically assesses the situation. "However, our committed, talented and fearless team is a big plus." Because the competition will be struggling with similar experience deficits, it all comes down to learning ability and teamwork, which will be assessed by experts before the best teams in the selection are nominated for the Youth America's Cup regatta.
