Kieler Woche: Innovations for sailors on the waterways - consequences of the flood of the century
YACHT
· 28.03.2024
The traditional eel regatta on Saturday (22 June) will end for the first time with a harbour party at the Eckernförde Sailing Club (SCE). The Senate Prize for teams of two is scheduled to start on Wednesday (26 June) before the last races of the Kiel Cup and is expected to lead to Denmark. The Silver Ribbon at the end with a start on Friday evening (28 June) is once again open to all sailing crews. Participating teams can still benefit from a reduced entry fee until the end of April.
Eel regatta with a new goal
When around 200 sea-going yachts head out of the inner fjord towards Eckernförde on the morning of the first day of Kiel Week, the fifth season already begins on the water in Kiel.Sailing.City. For the eel regatta, early risers line the keel line and eagerly watch which boats in their starting groups have the bow in front. "It's always a highlight right at the start and a picture in front of the state capital's skyline that goes around the world," says regatta organisation manager Dirk Ramhorst from lead organiser Kieler Yacht-Club (KYC), promoting the major nine-day event.
If you want to catch the fastest yachts at the finish line off Eckernförde, you have to be quick even on land. The ten-year-old course record of one hour, 47 minutes and 22 seconds set by the MOD70 trimaran "Musandam-Oman Sail" can only be beaten by a correspondingly fast boat in optimal wind and wave conditions. The First Ship Home, i.e. the first ship to finish, will turn right behind the line for the first time in 2024 into the SCE harbour, which has just been extensively redesigned. At the new jetty, there will not only be the traditional smoked eel for every crew, but also a drink from the beer van in the harbour apron. Party music is planned for the athletes even before the award ceremony in the hall. This will give the regatta a new home to celebrate, promises SCE Chairman Werner Trapp.
Consequences of the flood of the century
The storm in October 2023 will also leave its mark on Kiel Week. While the Kiel Schilksee harbour was able to reopen, the Schleimünde harbour, similar to the Damp marina, will probably not be reopened this year at least, which means that it will probably be cancelled as a stage destination for the Senate Prize. "We are flirting with Lyø or Marstal in the Danish South Sea as alternatives," explains race director Ralf Paulsen, "there are suitable barbecue areas for the evening programme." This time, the race will start on Wednesday at 10.30 am on the sea course, as the participating double-handed teams do not usually sail in the Kiel Cup, which is finishing at the same time. The return regatta is then scheduled for Thursday (27 June), although the destination has yet to be determined, as the Kiel lighthouse is still marked by severe damage from the night of the storm.
This means that all two-person crews who also want to take part in the Silver Ribbon of Kiel Week over approximately 140 nautical miles, which will once again start early Friday evening either on course Alpha or out of Strander Bucht, can take a rest. "If you register by 30 April, you can save at least 50 euros in entry fees," says Paulsen; for the Kiel Cup according to ORC and the X-99 Gold Cup, it's even 100 euros. Depending on the length of the boat, this amounts to almost 30 per cent. And if you want to take part in the start of the sailing season, the MaiOR (Mai Offshore Regatta) for ORC, Yardstick, J/24 and J/70 from 3 to 5 May, you should take advantage of the Easter week: The reduced entry fee still applies until 7 April. You can also register for Kieler Woche via the portal manage2sail.com.
Offshore races of the Kiel Week 2024:
- Saturday, 22 June: Eel regatta
- Sunday, 23 June: Return race from Eckernförde
- Monday, 24 June to Wednesday, 26 June: Kiel Cup
- Wednesday, 26 June: Senate Prize
- Thursday, 27 June: Return race Senate Prize
- Friday/Sunday, 28/29 June: Silver Ribbon
