The weather was a strong ally of Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink on 2 May. In bright sunshine and a mild breeze, the two Globe40 co-skippers brought their Class40 "Meganisi" across the Elbe into Sandtorhafen harbour. The traditional ship harbour of the Hamburg Maritime Foundation combines tradition and modernity in the heart of the Hanseatic city.
The Globe40 final in the home harbour
This Saturday, modernity with a future was a guest in the Sandtorhafen harbour, which opened in 1866: two young sailing professionals whose dream of sailing around the world for the first time was shattered too early with the Salingsbruch, but who have never given up and want to tackle the adventure of sailing around the world again in Globe40 2028. With their symbolic final parade on the Elbe, where they were flanked by families, friends, project partners and fans on support boats, they have now set the final exclamation mark at the end of their XXL adventure with highs and lows.
Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink had already completed the last stage of the two-handed race around the world on 17 April. third in the port of departure and arrival Lorient finished. After some tug-of-war with the jury and race committee, the young Germans finished eighth in the overall Globe40 standings, although they had mathematically earned sixth place with their opening performance despite missing three of the seven sections.
The rule makers had prevailed with their opinion and rule amendment that no boat with missed legs should be better off in the classification than a boat that has competed in all legs. However, the justified discussion on this assessment is a thing of the past. The final Globe40 results can be viewed here. This weekend, 2 May, was dominated by two young sailors who reached the Globe40 destination port of Lorient and their home port of Hamburg with a strong take-it-or-leave-it mentality.
The final home game does you good
The guests at the welcome party in Hamburg celebrated this fighting spirit in particular. There was much applause as the Class40 entered the Sandtor harbour and docked. "For me, this is much more like crossing the finishing line, arriving and celebrating than anything before. You can let everything fall away from you," said Lennart Burke on the dock in Sandtorhafen after the "Meganisi" was moored.
The people here have come for us today. We are here in our home country. This is a very nice conclusion." Lennart Burke
Around three and a half years after the two former Mini-Transat sailors joined forces to form Team Next Generation Sailing, the dream of sailing around the world remained out of reach for Burke and Fink on their first attempt. And yet, the duo, who have been working the shipyards in Hamburg and Kiel Next Generation Boating and Next Generation Yachting will be able to close another important chapter in their joint career under the team name Next Geenration Boating Around the World with their heads held high.
What remains are the "so many different impressions of such a race", said Lennart Burke in the Sandtor harbour. La Réunion is etched in his memory as an extraordinary place. And for two reasons: The final thriller of the second stagein which Team Germany came second, was one of the sporting highlights of the German Globe40 campaign. "That will remain unforgettable forever," says Lennart Burke.
The paradise "La Réunion" was the highlight of the Globe40 area
His team won the two-handed race around the world with two second and two third places despite missing three stage classifications. finished not without pride. "We could have come first on the first leg if we hadn't lost our kite," Burke recalled of the promising first Globe40 race of the next generation in autumn 2025.
Then there was the island of La Réunion itself, which Burke and Fink got to know in detail - the highlight of their trip around the world under sail. "You have this great infrastructure from Europe, but you're still in paradise. The island is so diverse. The differences in altitude mean you have so much different vegetation. And then there's this cultural diversity where everyone lives together peacefully. It's such a nice place to live together. It really is a paradise," Burke enthused in Hamburg.
Only 27 and 24 years old, Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink are also a force to be reckoned with in the future. However, the hardships following the breakage in the rig on the first Advent, the repair odyssey, financial pressure, time stress and the resurrection have also taken a lot of energy in recent months, in addition to the remote responsibility for their own two shipyards. "That's why the new project hasn't started yet, but we'd really like to do the Globe40 again in two years' time," said Burke, paying homage to the three-year sailing partnership and friendship with Melwin Fink.
The dream of self-build for the Globe40 2028
His review is honest: "We went into this project with total naivety. We simply didn't have the experience. Nor did we have a huge budget. But now we know how we can do better." The dream of building their own Class40 in the future is also being realised on this course. The course has been set for another Globe40 project.
The work of the Next Generation Boating Around the World team will show whether and when the starting signal for a new beginning can be given later this year and in 2027. First of all, the team and fans enjoyed the premiere of part 2 of the documentary "All In Good Times" in Hamburg's Zeise cinema, which will soon also be available to watch on YouTube. Go to part 1 here.
You can hear and see why the current partner came on board as a sponsor here:
And here is the trailer for the second part of the film documentary "All In Good Time", which premiered in Hamburg's Zeise cinemas on 2 May:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
