More than 1.1 million visitors flocked to Kiel over the first weekend. Summery temperatures and constant sunshine created the perfect conditions for the sailing and summer festival. The official opening on the Town Hall stage took place on Saturday evening. After the bell was rung by Minister-President Daniel Günther, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Schleswig-Holstein’s honorary citizen Kirsten Bruhn, together with the Typhon, gave the starting signal: “Cast off!”. Prior to that, the The Federal President on board the ‘Malizia Explorer’ by Boris Herrmann the regatta action off Schilksee up close.
“The wonderful trip was a truly memorable experience. Valuable work is being carried out here for the benefit of global science in the fields of marine and climate protection,” said Steinmeier upon his return. This year’s motto, “Kieler Woche connects”, was thus made clear right from the very first day. On his arrival, he walks purposefully towards a little blonde girl; she shakes his hand and he asks her name, her age and whether she has been here before. “Jumi from Hamburg,” she replies proudly, “I’m here every year.” She is the daughter of YACHT editor-in-chief Martin Hager.
Kieler Woche gets off to a successful start
Kiel’s Lord Mayor, Samet Yilmaz, is experiencing his first Kiel Week in office and is delighted with how it has got off to a start. “I’ve always known that Kiel Week is unique. But as Lord Mayor, I’m now experiencing it from a whole new perspective,” says Yilmaz. He emphasises that the blend of culture and world-class sailing creates many valuable and lasting connections. The mayor is particularly pleased with the security plan, which worked very well on the first few evenings. A peaceful atmosphere and a lively, festive mood characterised the entire first weekend.
49erFX and Eel Regatta
A thunderstorm front during the night leading into Saturday threw the weather on the Kiel Fjord into disarray. The forecast had promised better conditions than reality delivered. In the morning, the sun broke through the clouds over the land, whilst thermal winds battled against the gradient wind from the south-west. Huge wind shifts and large wind holes made fair racing impossible on almost all regatta courses. Only close to the shore off Schilksee were conditions stable enough. The five classes in the Sailing Grand Slam and the 420s did not get beyond attempting to start. KielerWoche.TV broadcast three thrilling 49erFX races live from the Leetor. The Aalregatta went ahead despite the capricious conditions and sent over 200 yachts out onto the 35-nautical-mile course to Eckernförde.
Canadian women dominate the 49erFX class
Georgia and Antonia Lewin-LaFrance got off to a flying start in the blue group. The Canadians secured two wins on the day and immediately took the lead. They’ve already managed to put a twelfth-place finish behind them. “It was tricky. We had to be incredibly careful every second not to be caught off guard,” said the helmswoman, summing up the challenging day of racing. In light to occasionally moderate breezes, the teams battled for every metre off the leeward mark. Helen Pais and Helen Ausman from Tallinn followed just one point behind in second place. The Estonian sailors remained consistently among the frontrunners and skilfully capitalised on the changeable conditions.
German teams with mixed results
Jule Ernst and Lea Adolph from Bavaria pulled off a surprise. The Bavarian duo finished fifth, making them the highest-placed German pair. Co-favourites Marla Bergmann and Hannah Wille from the Mühlenberg Sailing Club finished in tenth place. Their rivals from Kiel Maru Scheel and Freya Feilcke are twelfth.
The Eel Regatta calls for patience
The fleet of more than 200 boats faced a long day at sea. The first yachts set off at five past nine in the morning, the last at half past ten. The course was 35 nautical miles long. The finish line off Eckernförde’s town harbour closed at 7 pm. Not all boats finished within the time limit. At times, the sailing was exhilarating, but at other times the wind dropped significantly, turning the course into a test of patience (photo gallery). After just under four hours, the “Calypso”, skippered by Gerhard Hausen from Hamburg, became “First Ship Home”. On the points table, however, this was only enough for third place in the ORC Group A/B.
ORC rankings with close calls
Ralf Lässig took victory in the ORC A/B class aboard the “Xenia”, narrowly ahead of Sven Zoller’s “Bajazzo”. Harald Brüning from Kiel took the lead in the ORC C/D class aboard the “Topas”. A full eight seconds separated the winning duo in the ORC Double-Handed class from their closest rivals. Local heroes Jonas Hiller and Lea Spitzmann took victory aboard the “Voyage”, ahead of Patrick Heinrichs and Jan Findeisen on the “Lynx”. At the International German Inshore Championship in offshore sailing – which, together with two Scandinavian regattas, forms part of the Viking Challenge – proceedings moved to the protest room after the boats crossed the finish line. Erik Stannow’s “Dixi 5” from Denmark was ultimately declared the winner in ORC A/B, ahead of Norway’s Jan Sverre Hoiden on the “Son of Hurricans”.
Scandinavian successes and local triumphs
Patrik Forsgren from Sweden won the ORC C/D class with the “Garmin Team Pro4u”, ahead of Torsten Bastiansen’s “Alsydbank” from Flensburg. Many family crews and amateur teams competed on a yardstick basis for victory in the Eel Regatta. The fastest boat on calculated time was once again the “Concordia”, helmed by Philipp Zülsdorf from the Eckernförde Sailing Club. Jan von der Bank from Eutin, who has been among the international elite in the Contender class for years – including at Kieler Woche – demonstrated his skills alongside Wiebke Siemsen on his Berckemeyer 31 Classic. The duo won the yardstick classification for two-man crews in commanding fashion and showed that experience is worth its weight in gold in changeable conditions.
Live from the regatta courses at Kiel Week:
Events for visitors to Kiel Week
The first few evenings will see top musical acts take to the stages at Kieler Woche. Glockenbach, Fayan, Glasperlenspiel, Markus, Buddy Ogün and Midge Ure are set to perform as early as the first weekend. They are generating great enthusiasm Public viewing events to FIFA World Cup ... Numerous fans gather to watch the German national team’s 2–1 victory. The event areas are transformed into an atmospheric open-air football arena.
