An old tradition of the North Sea Week has a new winner. First awarded in 1925 for the fastest yacht around Heligoland, it was first won by Heinz Harmssen's "Ashanti 2". It was awarded four times in total until 2028, only returning to the island in 2022 after 94 years. The original is now on permanent display in the town hall. In the anniversary year of "100 years of Heligoland", the island donated the prize again in 2022. The "Holy Flag of Heligoland" is now also awarded for special commitment to the North Sea Week.
91st North Sea Week: "Rarotonga" honoured for exceptional commitment
Christoph Mählmann and the "Rarotonga" crew received it this year. Even at the start of the North Sea Week, their commitment went so far beyond the norm that in future they will also be able to enjoy the rights associated with the "Holy Flag of Heligoland": free mooring in Heligoland harbour for life and visits to the island free of visitor's tax. The "Rarotonga" and her team proved themselves to be outstanding "ambassadors" of the North Sea Week and the island of Heligoland with an unusual triple mission.
The Swan 46 "Rarotonga" first started on Friday in Race 1, the Garmin Cup from Hamburg to Cuxhafen. The team crossed the finish line in third place, but left before the prize-giving ceremony and started race 9: the sundowner kick-off to the International German Sailing Championship (IDM Offshore). Once again, the crew with their beautiful but heavy Swan managed a third place in light winds thanks to effective current expertise in the shortened race. And because that wasn't enough, they turned back and started race 2: the Noblex Cup from Cuxhaven to Helgoland.
In their third outing in the Noblex Cup, they were just two minutes off the podium in third place. But even in fourth place, the "Rarotonga" crew put in a remarkable performance. Click here for the results of the 91st North Sea Week for all races. When the "Rarotonga" crew arrived in Heligoland harbour on Saturday afternoon, everyone agreed that this was a commitment worthy of an award. The team received the "Holy Flag of Heligoland" for their triple achievement.
The Noblex Cup of the North Sea Week: "Topas", "Maxima", "No Name" and "Coriolis"
The Noblex Cup to Helgoland was won in group ORC A by Harald Brüning and his crew on the Farr 30 "Topas" (Kieler Yacht-Club) ahead of Jörg Zieron's Tripp 40 "Amuse-Bouche" (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) and Ralf Lässig's XP-44 "Xenia" (Wassersportverein Wulsdorf). Christoph Mählmann's ORC A fourth "Rarotonga" started for the Blankeneser Segel-Club. In ORC B1, Michael Haacke's X-35 "Maxima" (Weser Yacht Club Bremerhaven) won ahead of Jan Femmers' Pogo 30 EVO "Arni" (Yacht Club Bremerhaven) and Mathias Mathies' J-88 "Jam" (Vereinigung Freier Segler).
In ORC B2, Till Wulbieter's J-92 crew on "No Name" from the Altonaer Segel-Club beat Hagen Reese's Faurby 396 "Susewind" and Tilman Giesen's Swan 44 "Electa" (Kieler Yacht-Club) in second and third place. In ORC C, David Kortmann's Hanseat 68 "Coriolis" (Seglervereinigung Brunsbüttel) won the race ahead of Michael Matzke's Banner 30 R/C MK2 "Lotta" (Segel-Verein Altona-Oevelgönne) and Arne Ipsen's Match 33 "Marlin" (Segelverein Finkenwerder Hamburg von 1965).
After the well-deserved and almost midsummer break for all crews of the 91st North Sea Week and the IDM Offshore champion sailors on Saturday afternoon and the cheerful festive evening in the boot Race Village and in the Alexseal Lounge in the evening, the starting shots for the Capitell-Cup Rund Helgoland were fired on Whitsunday. They won't get much more than a mild early summer breeze.
Mild summer winds around Heligoland, stormy Pantaenius Rund Skagen race ahead
However, North Sea Week weather expert Sebastian Wache said of the hope for a regular race without a shortened course: "There is a relatively high probability that we will make it to the finish. That the course won't have to be shortened because the wind will hold out. But at the same time, it has to be said that we have a lot of sunshine. That means we're under an area of high pressure. And there's not much wind to be had. However, we are not completely under the centre, but a little on the edge. And the high pressure will only move in towards us this evening and then the wind will die down."
For the IDM sailors, the round Helgoland marks the second of three races before the decisive climax begins on Monday with the Pantaenius Rund Skagen, but no more than four to six knots could be expected for the Capitell-Cup Rund Helgoland. However, the forecasts for the grand finale of the Pataenius Rund Skagen race on Monday promised the opposite.
Sebastian Wache said: "That will be another number. What we haven't had enough wind in the last few days will be added on top towards Tuesday. This means that when they reach Skagen at the top, we're already talking about 40 to sometimes 45 Konoten in gusts. This is because the high then tends to slide back up towards the UK and then leaves the door open for a fairly strong low near Finland. This strong north-westerly wind will then develop right in between on Tuesday.
That will be a big, big challenge for everyone who has to sail there." Sebastian Wache
Sebastian Wache described the expected course of the Pantaenius Rund Skagen race according to the latest forecasts as follows: "The start will initially still be under the influence of high pressure. We will even start with a south-westerly wind, which will then slowly shift to the west. This means that the conditions for getting upwind or downwind are pretty good. Especially for the fast boats. Then over the course of Tuesday, probably around midday on Tuesday, it will turn to the north-west with a weak cold front and then freshen up considerably."
Will the "Uca" record around Skagen fall after 26 years?
What does this mean for the fleet in the Pantaenius Round Skagen Race? Wache explains: "This means that the fast boats will benefit massively from it, will be able to get around well at the top with this wind and will then be able to push through very quickly towards the keel with the north-westerly wind. The slower boats will have big problems."
On the promising flip side of the drastic forecasts is the prospect that the record for the Pantaenius Rund Skagen race, which has now stood for 26 years, could be challenged. This is the hope of the crews on the fastest boats in the IDM fleet. "Rafale" navigator Robin Zink said: "That is our main focus." The long-term record was set at the turn of the millennium in 2000 by Dr Klaus Murmann's "Uca" with helmsman Walter Meier-Kothe. Her 43 hours and 46 minutes are to be beaten.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
