"We've repaired over 50 boats in the past few days," says Leif Reincke, co-founder of Bottsand Bootsbau GmbH. The shipyard, which is actually located on the eastern shore of the fjord in Wendtorf, set up a small workshop in Schilksee during Kiel Week. His team had their hands full every day in both the Olympic and international sections.
"We try to repair as much as possible right here in Schilksee so that the sailors can get back on the water the next day," explains the 27-year-old. To this end, they have brought a section of the headquarters with them and have the most important materials for repairing dinghies and smaller yachts.
Repairs for the participants as a promotional and team-building measure
When conditions are particularly tough, as they were yesterday in the Bay of Kiel, the first sailors arrive at the boat builders at midday. By the time all classes go ashore again, a small queue forms in front of the cramped tent. The damage ranges from minor cosmetic repairs to broken and delaminated rudder blades, deep quirks or even holes in the hull.
The young company does not charge money for the repairs. "We use Kiel Week as a team-building exercise for our employees," says Reincke. Working in a different location with direct customer contact for a week is both fun and a challenge for his crew. "You learn to work pragmatically under a certain amount of time pressure. Unlike usual, the aim is not to achieve an absolutely perfect result." Instead, you have to find the best possible solution in the shortest possible time, but one that simply works.
Unique at Kiel Week: hardly any other event offers such a service
The change of location has another benefit, explains the trained boat builder: "Of course, we are also showing brand presence in Kiel with this campaign." This also applies to paint manufacturer International, with whom Bottsand Bootsbau shares the stand in the Olympic Centre. "The basic idea, of course, is simply to help the sailors. In particular, participants travelling long distances often don't have adequate repair facilities to be able to sail again during the regatta," says Jean-Pierre Martius, technical salesman at International.
This goes down well with the active regatta sailors. Directly in the pagoda next door, another company can collect plus points here and trigger great gratitude. Sail manufacturer North Sails has arrived with several employees and three sewing machines to take care of the participants' damaged cloths.
