The seventh Baltic 500 was and is not a sure-fire success for any of the 48 participating double-handed crews. After a sunny, picture-book start on Father's Day, the first night got down to business in winds of up to 30 knots. By the second day at sea, six boats had already been eliminated, including the co-favourites Wolf Scheder-Bieschin and Arnt Bruhns on the JV 43 "Vineta", whose tiller broke. Click here for the report.
Record solo of the youngest crew in the Baltic 500
This cleared the way in the Baltic 500 for the top solo of the second co-favourites: Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink ignited their Class40 turbo after a "sticky" opening phase. After a good 24 hours, the two co-skippers had built up a lead of around 50 nautical miles over their closest rivals.
The start was a bit of a downer. Then we had a nice ride all the way to the chalk cliffs of Møn yesterday evening." Melwin Fink
We continued downwind to Gedser before a cross followed. "We had 20 knots of wind until after Fehmarn and were still travelling fast," says Melwin Fink about the return journey on the large 500 nautical mile round trip from Kiel up around Læsø and back. After a further 48 hours, the finish line in Strander Bucht was almost on target again. But while the fast Pogo 40 S4 was flying, especially in the first half of the race, the final phase for Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink was more like a slow-motion race.
"On Saturday afternoon it was more like three knots instead of five. We stood still for half an hour, then the wind shifted. We first pulled the code zero, then the spinnaker, and we made it to the finish line," said Lennart Burke. The 23-year-old Melwin Fink and his 26-year-old co-skipper Lennart Burke reached the finish line in record time at 16:42:51 on Saturday afternoon.
The old record, which Tim Behrendt and Andreas Buchheim had set in 2022 with the JPK 11.80 "Frida" with 2 days, 7 hours, 54 minutes and 23 seconds, was beaten by Burke and Fink in the end more narrowly than hoped for at half-time: After 2 days, 6 hours, 7 minutes and 56 seconds, they were 1 hour, 46 minutes and 27 seconds faster than Behrendt/Buchhaim three years ago.
A record at last!" Melwin Fink
"After all the waiting for a record-breaking round of Denmark in the winter, we are delighted that it has now worked out in the Baltic 500. It's a very nice reward for our patience," said Melwin Fink. "We pushed really hard, for example we were still sailing the A4 in 30 knots off Læsø," added Lennart Burke with a smile.
Both Line Honours winners describe the Baltic 500 as a very positive experience. "The race is short, crisp and varied. You can really step on the gas, because there is a lot of wind in places. On the other hand, there is also all this land around you. It's nice to play, but it's also challenging. We're a bit spoilt by the Atlantic, where you can race freely for hundreds of miles," said Lennart Burke.
The Class40 crew also attested to the strong performance of the smaller boats in the field. Lennart Burke said: "We find it very impressive how far ahead the Dehlers with water ballast or 'Gaia' with a wide foreship are. It's pretty cool what they get out of it with a lot of reaching. And we kept our fingers crossed for 'Frida' because our sailmaker Julius Battenfeld spontaneously jumped in."
Baltic 500: Will "Gaia" bring the ORC overall victory to the finish?
The chasers of the "First ship home" were still battling for the overall ORC victory in the Balt 500 on Saturday afternoon. According to tracker data, Sverre Reinke and Lina Rixgens on their Sun Fast 30OD were still defending their lead after a calculated time of one hour ahead of the First 31.7 "Lucky Five" with Leif Petersen and Joshua Goller. Just under an hour behind them, Jonas Hallberg and Grant Greenall on the JPK 10.30 "Hinden" were battling for a podium place, having moved closer to the boats in front of them.
In ORC 1, a few hours before the finish, the First 36 "Salicornia" with Arno Böhnert and Christian Heermann had the calculated lead ahead of the Arcona 385 "Lightworks" with Michael Höfgen and Joshua Goller and the JPK 11.80 "Frida" with Tim Behrendt and Julius Battenfeld. In ORC 2, "Gaia" took the calculated lead ahead of "Lucky Five" and "Hinden", in line with the overall ORC classification. This showed that this year - apart from the speedy Class40 - it was definitely a race for the well-sailed smaller boats.
The final ORC placings are not expected to be decided until late Saturday evening or Sunday night. The last boats are expected to arrive at the Baltic 500 finish line by Sunday and then at the host Yacht Club Strande. The award ceremony is planned for Monday. The fastest crew in the race has announced a gin stand.
After the Baltic 500 is before the refit
For Line Honours winners Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink, after the Baltic 500 is before the refit: the Class40 is now being refitted for the planned circumnavigation in the Globe40 from 31 August. Melwin Fink explained: "We are installing a new bulkhead to have five watertight areas in the boat." Lennarte Burke adds: "There will be a new hydrogenerator on board as an additional energy source, a new watermaker, lots of small things." Comprehensive structural and mast checks are also planned.
