Many sailors will use the long Whitsun weekend for their own pleasure on the Baltic Sea, North Sea or in more distant climes. Among them are thousands of regatta sailors taking part in the North Sea Week, the third Bundesliga event in Kiel and the YES junior regatta.
SailGP comeback in the Big Apple
Or they step into the international ring like Team Germany at the sixth regatta of the fifth SailGP season in New York. In the Big Apple, after a 75-day break from the league at Governor's Island in Upper New York Bay off the southern tip of Manhattan, light wind aces and current foxes may be challenged. Twelve world-class teams with eight Olympic champions are preparing for the challenge.
For Erik Kosegarten-Heil and his crew from the Germany SailGP Team, things are set to improve. At the bottom of the table in the concert with the major sailing powers, the German racing team wants to score as many points as possible to climb up the rankings after the thunderstorm of penalties in Sydney and the recent dampers in San Francisco.
"We are motivated to the tips of our hair," announced Flensburg coach Lennart Briesenick, who lives in Copenhagen. here at YACHT online on. The two race days start on Saturday and Whitsunday at 9.30 pm German time - so you can have sailed beforehand and then watch the races live. ZDF broadcasts all heats and the final here. The commentator is Kristin Recke.
52 Super Series: "Platoon Aviation" moves forward
The second regatta of the 52 Super Series, which is already underway, comes to an end on Saturday in Baiona, Spain. For the first time in years, Markus Wieser will be sailing the TP52 on "Platoon Aviation" for the owner and helmsman Harm Müller-Spreer (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein), who is unable to attend due to work commitments.
So far, things are going roughly as Wieser himself predicted: "I'll need a day or two to get back into it." The first race win with Wieser at the tiller came on the third day. After six races with results of 4, 10, 9, 4, 2 and 1, the German monohull racing machine, which had got off to a difficult start in eleventh and last place at the season opener off Saint-Tropez, was in second place behind American Magic Quantum Racing at the halfway point.
The races of the 52 Super Series will be broadcast live via the homepage. Click here for the programme, which usually starts at 12.45 pm, and the results. The North Sea Week, the Bundesliga and the YES, whose name stands for Young Europeans Sailing, offer live sporting entertainment for participants and fans in local waters over Whitsun. The three-day junior series from 7 to 9 June stands for top-class young sailing.
Bundesliga and YES in Kiel
The YES is one of the most important youth regattas in Europe and is held every year over Whitsun in the home waters of Kieler Woche with headquarters in the Kiel-Schilksee Olympic Centre in the 420, 29er, Europe, Ilca 6 (men and women), Ilca 4 and Ilca 7 classes. Click here for the information and later the results.
At the same time, the first and second division teams in the Bundesliga will meet on Kiel's inner fjord from 7 to 9 June for their third summit of the season. The seven-time record winners from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein start the last long league weekend before the summer break as league leaders with just three points on their tally so far.
Their most dangerous hunters are the defending champions from Mühlenberger Segel-Club (5 points) and Münchner Yacht-Club (11 points). The three leading clubs are entering the arena with top helmsmen: Tobias Schadewaldt is back at the tiller for the NRV after a long maternity leave. The MSC will have Max Augustin, the MYC Xaver Huber. Click here for all the information and results on the Whitsun weekend. Fans can follow the action of the 36 first and second division teams from the Kiellinie.
To Heligoland for the North Sea Week
Heligoland is calling for the German sailing summit in the North Sea over Whitsun. 1,500 sailors are expected there for the sporting competition around the Red Rock. After the feeder races on Whitsun Sunday, the most famous race of the North Sea Week will also be celebrated with "100 Years Round Heligoland". All important information about the German sailing classic can be found here.
1875 kilometres away from Helgoland, the Olympic sailors are in demand in the fast-paced 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 disciplines. While some GER top performers are not competing in the 49er men's event and the foiling catamarans are vying for the European title without any German participation, the skiff sailors from the German Sailing Team are well underway.
After five races, Olympic sixth-placed Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille from Mühlenberger Segel-Club were in second place. Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Barthelheimer (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Segelclub Inning am Ammersee) were also doing well in fifth place. Maru Scheel and Freya Feilcke (Kieler Yacht-Club) continued the attack in eleventh place. Click here for the resultsThe series comes to an end on Whitsunday.
DEBRIEFING The coaches of the Germany SailGP Team comment on their team's performance at the last event in San Francisco. The German team had to put up with a few setbacks there:
