Disappointment among two-handed sailors: the Baltic 500 planned for mid-May had to be cancelled today. The organisers from the Strande Yacht Club, led by initiators Cord Hall and Rasmus Töpsch, fought with their team until the very end, but the application for a special permit from the Rendsburg health authority was not given the green light. "We tried to get a special licence in view of the many requirements, but the application was rejected," said Cord Hall on Thursday evening.
Cord Hall sees two reasons for the lack of authorisation. One has to do with the regulation round and the timing. According to Hall, the current regulation is valid until 9 May. However, the Baltic 500 should have started on 13 May. And thus at a time for which there was currently no regulation. "Last time," says Cord Hall, "they changed the regulation a week before it was due to expire. If it was the same this time, then - as we had hoped - there should already be a working basis. But that doesn't seem to be the case." Reason two for the rejection of the Strander organisers' application is a simpler argument: according to the decision-makers, there is no particular hardship.
The Baltic 500 organisers, their advisors and supporters as well as the many hopeful registered participants find it difficult to understand the decision. Hall says: "It's not a decision that was made because the event poses a particular risk. We had organised contact-free check-in and safety checks without any risk of infection. We consider the decision to be purely a decision based on fear and find it difficult to understand. We offered to significantly reduce the event to what is most important, as we did last year: the sailing. Our concepts and plans were favourably received by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Transport, who assured us of their support for our request."
Reactions from sailing circles promptly followed the decision and ranged from "bitter" to "deep frustration" and "a pity" to "sad" on social networks, in each case combined with thanks for the great commitment of the organisers. Former "Rodeo" skipper and enthusiastic two-handed sailor Kirsten Wrede wrote: "It's a real shame. You were ready, we were ready - but apparently not the authorities for good concepts. Thank you for your great commitment. Postponed is not cancelled." Sailmaker and UK Sails representative Stefan Voss wrote: "Thank you very much for your commitment. It's really bitter to digest this cancellation. In return, the footballers and handball players can continue to publicly embrace each other on TV. It's a topsy-turvy world!"
In a Facebook commentary on Thursday evening, the legal experts at Brink & Partner (yacht-recht.de) stated, among other things: "In our view, the currently applicable rules of the state ordinance are more than legally dubious on this point and it is precisely against this background that we had serious hopes that an exemption permit would be successful, especially for this event - which was perfectly prepared in view of Corona. It is therefore all the more depressing that not only the authorities, but also the politicians in particular, have let this event of great importance starve to death in such an incomprehensible way. One can argue about many regulations and have different opinions. However, in our view, this case is a classic bad decision by the state and frustrates anyone who wants to achieve something outstanding for the community, not in a confrontational manner, but in agreement with all those involved."
There is still a glimmer of hope for a catch-up regatta this year, says Cord Hall: "We are looking at the calendar. The combination of other events and family commitments means that the options for an alternative date are pretty limited. But there is a small chance."
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
