The starting signal for the Travemünde Week long-distance regatta had already been given on Friday. The 13 participating crews were supposed to be back in the harbour in time for the prize-giving ceremony on Saturday evening. However, the plan turned into a complex challenge for the race organisers and the sailors. Not storms, but flat winds required a lot of patience and even more flexibility.
Travemünde Week: Offshore short programme
Because an intense doldrums had crept into the Bay of Lübeck and Mecklenburg Bay with the darkness, race director Jens Hahlbrock had to change the originally planned course around Fehmarn in order to get all the crews back in time. Which is why this Travemünde Week did not go around Fehmarn, but headed south-east from Fehmarnsund towards Kühlungsborn. After rounding a mark there, the course led the fleet back to Travemünde. In the end, the sailors still had 80 nautical miles in the stern instead of 120.
The Swedish crew on the Corby 33 "Mrs Freckles" completed this the fastest. Lena Having and Eivind Bøymo-Malm sailed their courses at the start of the Travemünde Week largely "in the shadows". Because their AIS (Automatic Identification System) had stopped sending data during the night from Fehmarn, they also surprised the race organisers. When the duo crossed the Travemündung at 8 a.m. and crossed the finish line 16 minutes later, the sailors had to time themselves.
With a sailed time of 14 hours, 1 minute and 30 seconds, the Scandinavians won the overnight race. Lena Having from the Cape Crow Yacht Club on the island of Hönö said after crossing the finish line: "We didn't actually have a technical problem on board. I don't know why the AIS wasn't transmitting. That happens sometimes."
It was a good race, sometimes really tricky." Lena Having
The Swedish winner continued: "With a lot of experience and a bit of luck, we achieved a good result. The atmosphere here is very friendly among all the competitors. We are staying here all week because we have never sailed regattas here before." It was only two hours later that the next long-distance yachts appeared in front of the Passat. The sailors reported treacherous wind conditions after crossing the finish line.
Series of doldrums traps for sailors
Local hero Frank Michel's X99 "Fiefdeeler" was caught in a total doldrums three times and got stuck. In the first race of the Travemünde Week, the Lübeck crew only crossed the finish line five and a half hours after the winning yacht. The crew of Adrian Backmann's "UiJuiJui 4" (Fehmarn) faced a final test of nerves shortly before the finish. They were already the second yacht heading for the Trave when a small northerly bow dashed their hopes of a podium finish, as the chasing yachts to the south overtook them with more pressure.
The Swedish Corby 33 managed to win ahead of Hinrich Klatt's First 34.7 "Bona Tempora" from the Lübeck Yacht Club even after the calculated time. For Hinrich Klatt, the race with the start in the Trave was a special treat. He said: "We have been working towards this for a long time, that we would start with a race at the opening of the Travemünde Week. I'm delighted that this has now worked out!"
The Swedish victory at the start of the Travemünde Week did not surprise Hinrich Klatt. He noted: "They are sailing in a different league." Gothenburg's Eivind Bøymo-Malm has also been to the Lübeck Yacht Club for regatta training. "We regularly invite professionals for this," explained Klatt. Hendrik Decker's "Playgirl II" followed in third place. His Vector is one of the two Mini 6.50s at the start, which are only half the size of the "UiJuiJui", the largest yacht in the field. The soloist from the Lübeck Yacht Club was delighted to win the Yardstick classification.
Picture-book start for dinghies, open keelboats and catamarans
The participants in the dinghy classes, open keelboats and catamaran classes enjoyed a picture-book start on the first Saturday of Travemünde Week. The wind and weather conditions could hardly have been better for the opening of their series. It started with a light breeze from the east. As the day progressed, thermals were added, allowing the Hobies to fly over the water in the afternoon sunshine. The maximum planned programme could be completed in all classes.
The Finn sailors also had a close race. The largest fleet of 39 boats at the Travemünde Week was led by Berlin's Fabian Lemmel after the first two races. The former German champion had travelled to the event as the winner, having just won the title at the Warnemünde Week after an exciting duel with André Budzien. He was able to build directly on his success, but will have to fend off strong Dutch competition, among others: Three Dutchmen were just behind Lemmel before Sunday's races.
In the H-boats, Jens Hanisch, Carsten Hanisch and Andreas Imgartinger from the Potsdam Yacht Club benefited from their most consistent series over three races. The Berlin trio lead ahead of their club colleagues around Holger Köhne, who took two victories but also had to put up with a slip-up. Matthias van Holt/Jens Hedfeld from Lohheider See initially led the competition for the Corsairs.
Travemünde Week: three victories in four races
Ulf Hahn and Katrin Wiese-Dohse lead the Hobie 16 after an impressive series on their first day of the Travemünde Week. The cats enjoyed four races. Hahn/Wiese-Dohse crossed the finish line first three times. The J/22 fleet was in double action on the course on Saturday. Firstly, the small field of eleven boats were challenged in the first races of their German Open on the regatta course in the Bay of Lübeck. Then it was off to the show race on the Trave.
While favourite Reiner Brockerhoff from the Duisburger Yacht-Club and his crew were clearly ahead at the German Open and led the Travemünde Week field after day one, Thorsten Spötter, Hannes Ranke and Florian Fuchs from the Hamburger Segel-Club took victory in the Trave Races. In the exciting races, the Hamburg team had the right instinct, positioned themselves on the side of the Passat on the last cross of the final and crossed the line as winners with better wind.
"These are always exciting races in our class here at Travemünde Week. It was a lot of fun today," commented Thorsten Spötter after the victory on the Trave, for which the crew was able to collect specialities from Lübeck. The Spötter crew was initially in fourth place in the German Open rankings. Click here for all results and intermediate results of the Travemünde Weekwhich will continue until next weekend.
Opened! The 136th Travemünde Week is underway - here are the first impressions of the sailing festival in Schleswig-Holstein:
