Globe40: Resurrection instead of circumnavigation - Burke/Fink at the finish line

Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink have kept themselves, their team Next Generation Boating Around the World and their fans in suspense for 140 days. Today they have reached the finish harbour of Lorient in Brittany. There, where the racing team of Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia has just the new "Malizia 4 the young sea strikers from Hamburg crossed the finish line in third place shortly after 5 pm on Friday.

Globe40: the glittering finale to a mammoth task

Two days earlier, the Duel for the overall victory Team Crédit Mutuel (France) won against Team Belgium Ocean Racing - Curium. For the youngest crew in the field of eight boats, however, the round-the-world race remained incomplete. Saline damage had thwarted the duo on the 1st Advent in the Indian Ocean. Until then, they had been in second place and had put up a strong fight against the top favourites. Then came the shock: a fracture forced them to retire. Abandonment of the third and two further stages.

After turning back to La Réunion and undergoing repairs, the German Class40 was ferried in the opposite direction to the fleet via Cape Town across the Atlantic to Recife in Brazil. This allowed them to complete the final leg of the race with their heads held high. The overall ranking for the German team will only be determined after the arrival of further boats at the weekend and the mathematical realisation of the final result. of the jury's decision in favour of Team Germany decide.

Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink experienced the last miles of their mammoth challenge on a high. "We sailed towards the finish line with great feelings of happiness. We had one last incredible night, racing towards Lorient at an average of 18 to 20 knots. It was really cool!" enthused the 24-year-old Fink.

First the Globe40 soar, then the fall and the comeback

Commenting on the only partially completed round the world, Fink said: "We may have had to skip a few stages, but we came back. That's why our story is now the comeback, the resurrection after such a setback." Fink referred to "the lost spinnaker, the saling breach and also the fact that the project's funding was not secured for a long time". He explained: "We had many setbacks and had to come back from all these moments."

The initial flight of fancy before the subsequent break was painful. Melwin Fink recounts in the Film documentary "All in" The rollercoaster of emotions: "After the first few stages, we realised that we could win this race, but at least finish on the podium. These goals were taken away from us. But it was clear to us that we still wanted to finish the race. Giving up was never an option."

This is also how the 27-year-old co-skipper and partner of the shipyards Next Generation Boating in Hamburg and Next Generation Yacht in Kiel sees it. Lennart Burke said with vigour: "We are Melwin and Lennart. We never give up, never bury our heads in the sand." He took a look into the future and said: "We will settle this unfinished business. Cape Horn is waiting for us. We would like to start Globe40 again in 2028."

Globe40 comeback plans for 2028

Ideally, Burke and Fink would like to tackle the third edition of the two-handed race around the world with their own construction. They have the facilities to do so in their company. They also have the ideas and contacts. For Burke and Fink, however, a second attempt would only be possible with a timely and well-financed campaign.

We definitely want to do it again. But differently. The focus remains on building a new campaign." Melwin Fink

The current Class40 will soon be brought to Germany by a transfer crew. A welcome party for the team is planned for 2 May in Hamburg. Zthe programme is here. The Class40 will be on display here as well as at the Ancora Yacht Festival in Neustadt from 7 to 9 May. There, the boat will be moored at jetty T (berth 19) before taking a break ashore. Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink then want to focus intensively on their two boatyards, but also have sporting plans again.

"For now, we will be sailing with other crews on IRC racers: the Palermo Monte Carlo, the Rolex Middle Sea Race. And I will also be sailing the Aegean 600 double-handed with a customer. We're looking forward to these races, we don't have so much responsibility for the boat for a change, but we can still go full throttle." After very good preparation, Burke and Fink were often left to their own devices in the Globe40 during the race and were therefore under more pressure than other teams, who had their technicians in the leg harbours.

Fond memories: the Globe40 family growing together

Burke and Fink have fond memories of the Globe40 sailing family that has grown together. Melwin Fink says: "We found all the teams very impressive in their own right. They all came from all over the world. Everyone had their own story. It's impressive that everyone pulled it off like that. Very inspiring!"

Team Germany had the best relationship with Les Bleus, the "Crédit Mutuel" winning team, as Melwin Fink happily reports: "They were super open with us. We got lots of tips from them. It was always very cool. Both from the technical team and from the sailors." This could certainly be helpful for the possible comeback in two years' time.

Click here for the Globe40 tracker, as the final stage continues for the other teams.