May serves up a firework display for regatta sport. After the welcome ceremony for Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink on 2 May, it's all go at home and abroad: Imoca races, league sport, SailGP action, prestigious Mediterranean series, the first pre-regatta for the 38th America's Cup, European and World Championships for Olympic sailors and German highlights such as the Baltic 500 and North Sea Week are in sight.
Hello May, hello regatta sport! The merry month serves up a series of sailing highlights. Things get down to business in German and international waters. The 31 action-packed days are heralded by the classic MayOR Regatta in Kiel and from 2nd Bundesliga weekend on Lake Starnberg (both 1 to 3 May).
Regatta highlights in May: Optis, Class40 and Imocas
On 2 May, the eagerly awaited World Championship and European Championship qualifying regatta for Opti-A sailors in Warnemünde. On the same day in Hamburg, the Team Next Generation Boating Around the World Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink celebrate their return from Globe40 on 2 May. The schedule for the public party in Sandtorhafen and other programme items can be found here.
On 3 May, the curtain rises on the first Imoca-regatta of the year: the Solo race 1000 Milles. Whilst Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia still on the completion of the new "Malizia 4" seven skippers are on the starting list for the offshore foiling season opener. Among them is Sam Goodchild ("Macif Santé Prévoayance"), the 2025 season champion.
Competing against him: Frankie Clapcich ("11th Hour Racing") in her first major Imoca solo regatta and Corentin Horeau on Yoann Richomme's ex-"Paprec Arkéa", which is now starting as "Macsf" with a new skipper. Anyone who was at the start of the Ocean Race Europe in Kiel and witnessed the presentation of the crews on stage may remember: Vendée Globe runner-up Yoann Richomme introduced Corentin Horeau as his crew member for the European race, but also as "the next Vendée Globe winner".
May fun with Milles 1000, PalmaVela, SailGP and 52 Super Series
Elodie Bonnafous also has podium chances in the Milles 1000 with "Association Petits Princes - Queguiner", while Violette Dorange will be there on "Initiatives - Cœur", as will Nico D'Estais on "Café Joyeux" and Vendée Globe veteran Arnaud Boissières on "April Marine - Recherche Co-Partenaire". The race will be sailed from Port-la-Forêt around the Fastnet rocks and back to Concarneau.
When the Imocas race off, the same day off Palma de Mallorca the 22nd Palma Vela already come to an end. There, the TP52-Racer the largest field, before they open the 15th season of the 52 Super Series off Puerto Portals in the bay of Palma. Three-time TP52 world champion Harm Müller-Spreer (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) and his crew on "Platoon Aviation" are once again among the co-favourites. The 2023 season champions are once again aiming for more than the fifth place they finished in last season.
Team Germany is also aiming for top results at the fifth summit of the sixth season. SailGP-season. On 9 and 10 May, the league crosses over to the dream spot for the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix on. Erik Kosegarten-Heil and his team are in eighth place after four events and want to move up further. Tom Slingsby and Australia's Bonds Flying Roos are leading the standings ahead of Team Emirates GBR with helmsman Dylan Fletcher and the U.S. SailGP team led by Taylor Canfield. Click here for the table.
Germany's best Olympic sailors compete for May medals
Several highlights of the Olympic sailing move into the spotlight in the second week of May. First of all, the world's best Formula kitesurfers will be competing in Viana do Castelo, south of Vigo, Portugal. Their world championship will be held from 9 to 16 May. Olympic fifth-placed Jannis Maus (Cuxkiters e.V.) and his young team-mate Jan Vöster (Württembergischer Yacht-Club) in particular are starting the series with ambitious goals.
Almost at the same time, from 12 May, Brittany will be hosting the World Championship for 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 to the point. The finals are scheduled for 17 May in the Bay of Quiberon. The best in the skiff classes count of the national sailing team are among the co-favourites in the battle for the medals, above all the Trofeo winners Richard Schultheis/Fabian Rieger (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee).
In the women's 49erFX, the Olympic squad sailors and Trofeo runners-up Sophie Steinlein/Cathy Bartelheimer (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Segelclub Inning am Ammersee) and the Olympic sixth-placed Marla Bergmann/Hanna Wille (Mühlenberger Segel-Club) will also be competing, Women's America's Cup helmswoman Maru Scheel with Freya Feilcke (Kieler Yacht-Club) and SailGP strategist Anna Barth with Emma Kohlhoff (Kieler Yacht-Club) will be fighting for a place in the final and medals.
May hits: Baltic 500, Ilca summit and the first pre-regatta for the America's Cup
While they are doing this, the starting signal for the eighth edition of the Baltic 500. Cord Hall, Rasmus Töpsch and the dedicated team from the Yacht Club Strande were pleased to welcome a sold-out house of 50 boats for the German two-handed long-distance race. The event is traditionally sailed in three classes: Dehler 30od, ORC Club and Yardstick. Last year's Dehler winner and perennial favourite Olli Schmidt-Rybandt will be there with the "Powerplay" and co-skipper Clara Witthinrich, as will a long list of well-known offshore lovers and experts.
After that, many eyes will turn to Kastela near Split. From 15 to 22 May, Croatia will host the European Championships for the Olympic Ilca 7 men and Ilca 6 women. More than 300 boats are registered! After two strong fourth places in his XL world class fields at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca and the Semaine Olympique Française, Philipp Buhl (Segelclub Alpsee-Immenstadt/Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) wants to fight for a podium place. Also in good form at the start of the season: 21-year-old Ole Schweckendiek (Kieler Yacht-Club) and comeback helmsman Nik Aaron Willim (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein).
From the Adriatic Sea and the German Ilca Aces, the next stop is the Tyrrhenian Sea: from 21 to 24 May the first pre-regatta for the 38th America's Cup will be held. Five of the six Cup teams will be competing in the Sardinian waters. Three of them are competing with two boats each: the Cup defenders from Emirates Team New Zealand, Sir Ben Ainslie's British Team GB1 and Patrizio Bertelli's Team Luna Rossa. The French La Roche-Posay Racing Team and the Swiss Tudor Team Alinghi come by boat.
More miles in May: North Sea Week, Pantaenius Round Skagen, Brass Cruise
At almost the same time, the red North Sea cliffs in Germany are calling: the 91st North Sea Week (22 to 25 May) will be followed by the Pantaenius Round Skagen from Helgoland over around 510 nautical miles to Kiel. The starting signal for the traditional long-distance race, which first took place in 1932 and is held every two years, will be given on Whit Monday. The challenge prize for the race was donated by the late Berlin foundryman and Admiral's Cup winner Hermann Noack created. The large bronze cast sculpture of a Viking ship was donated by Partner Pantaenius in 1994.
Parallel to the North Sea Week, over Whitsun the Brass tour (22 to 24 May) with its motto "A night through the bay". 100 boats are registered for the solo and double-handed regatta with headquarters in the clubhouse of the Lübeck Yacht Club. Spectators can watch the departure of the boats on Saturday morning and the starts from 12 noon live from the north pier. A course of at least 100 nautical miles through the bay will be sailed.
Whether Class40, Minis with their Mini en Mai (from 25 May), or title fights in international classes: May is packed with exciting sailing events. Hundreds of club and class regattas liven up the spring in all German sailing areas. If you would like to study the entire programme in detail, take a look at Manage2Sail pure.
"Expect the unexpected"! May brings regattas in all disciplines of sailing. Here is the trailer for the first pre-regatta for the 38th America's Cup in Cagliari:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
