Brassfahrt: Midsummer Night's Dream in the Bay of Lübeck - "Whiteout" first boat to cross the finish line

An Akilaria 950 was the fastest boat at the 3rd Brassfahrt: Hasso Hoffmeister and Sven Winterberg (Kieler Yacht-Club/Yachtclub Bullenhausen) were the first boat in the Brassfahrt fleet to cross the finish line in their Akilaria 950 "Whiteout" shortly before 7 a.m. on Whit Sunday after starting the day before. The duo completed the course in just 17 hours, 7 minutes and 59 seconds. "That was a gigantic achievement, a highlight," said Matthias Renner, one of the three Brassfahrt initiators and organisers alongside Olav Arne Nehls and Timo Manske.

Winner sailed "as if from another planet"

A good three hours later, Jens Hufnagel and Thomas Panten (Yachtclub Fischereihafen Travemünde/YFT) crossed the finish line in second place in "Whiteout's" Group III of boats up to 35 feet in length on the Archambault A35 "Chenapan". They also bowed to the performance of the confident winners, writing in a Facebook greeting to the "Whiteout" crew: "They sailed like they were from another planet. Nothing to do. Won with a gigantic lead. And just like last year at Staberhuk, they simply sailed away. Congratulations from the 'Chenapan'." A good quarter of an hour after the "Chenapan", Erik Larsson and Arne Kölplin on the J/100 "Eclipse" completed the strong Group III podium.

In Group I of the boats up to 25 feet, Mattis Franken and Luke Schmiedi on "Freya" won the race after 20 hours, 35 minutes and 49 seconds. "That's a great story, because they were newcomers in the storm race at the first Brassfahrt and have grown with the Brassfahrt. Now they have raced like devils and are part of the family," says Matthias Renner.

The race offered its participants some variety this year: In winds of between 16 and 19 knots, the organisers sent their participants on the 100 nautical mile course on Saturday afternoon. Due to challenging winds, not all of the 100 registered participants made it to the start in Travemünde. Nevertheless, an impressive fleet of 80 boats took up the challenge of the Whitsun festival under sail in the Bay of Lübeck.

Mast breakage on the "Havoc"

The refreshing start was followed during the night by a doldrums in the area of the turning mark off Kühlungsborn, which delayed some crews much longer than they had hoped. Some gave up. The wind returned between 1am and 2am. The finale once again offered beautiful sailing and marvellous pictures as the boats came in. While the Brassfahrt fleet came through the test relatively unscathed and many participants experienced their sailing summer night's dream, Enno Thyen, the brother of Silverrudder winner Peter Thyen, had to overcome the mast breakage of his Hod 35X2.20 "Havoc" in wind force five from the north-west. Travelling solo, Thyen had to cut away the mast himself, which now rests on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, but was able to reach the finish harbour under his own steam.

In Group II for boats up to 30 feet, Patrick Heinrichs and Jan Helms (Sail-Lollipop Regatta Verein/Segelkameradschaft Das Wappen von Bremen) came out on top with their Esse 850 "Jynx". Group IV was won by Peter Thyens Santa Cruz 37 "Sonic" from Yachtclub Kattegat Lübeck. In the combined Group V and VI, Martin Rafalcyk and Patrick Böttcher won with the Luffe 45 "Schlawutzki" from the Lemkenhafen-Fehmarn Sailing Club. The soloists who competed in the groups with crews are specially honoured for top performances. "We award special prizes to those who have persevered," says Matthias Renner.

The Brassfahrt format is well received

Even before the award ceremony and the farewell party on Whit Sunday evening in the clubhouse of the host Lübeck Yacht Club at Leuchtenfeld, the organisers were able to draw a positive balance. The third edition of the popular regatta confirmed that this format for sailors of all ages and with a wide range of experience is still on the upswing. For the organisers, as they jointly put it, "safety, fun and the get-together of all participants are just as important as the sporting race". The concept works.

Matthias Renner said on Whitsun Sunday before the last finishes on the water: "The Brassfahrt has been very well received. But it shouldn't get any bigger. The field has now grown to a size that can still be organised well." Renner slept for just one hour on the night from Saturday to Sunday. His team-mates hardly any more. Instead, they gave the Brassfahrt crews a wonderful Whitsun festival in the Bay of Lübeck.

Click here for the tracking and the sailed times in all groups.

Introducing the Brassfahrt! Click here for the teaser of the race. The dedicated organisers and some of the participants will be posting more clips from the latest edition on YouTube in the coming days: