Stefan Stähli from the Segel-Sport-Club Romanshorn won the 64th Rund Um with the catamaran "Sonnenkönig", his third victory after 2010 and 2012, with a sailed time of 4:45:42 hours. Albert Schiess from the Yacht Club Arbon came second with the "Holy Smoke", just eight seconds behind first place. Third place went to Fritz Trippolt's "Skinfit" from the Yacht Club Bregenz.
"The first eight places were taken by the eight registered catamarans," said race director Hubert Henzler, summarising the result. "The other boats simply couldn't keep up with the catamarans."
Michael Pieper from the DSMC won the Blue Cup for the fastest yacht in starting group 2 with the "Vermeer" (One Off, ORC Club 1), while the "Makani nui" with skipper Markus Schilling from the SCRG won the Little Blue Ribbon with a Corsair F24 trimaran, the fastest yacht in starting group 3.
It was a rather light-winded yet fast sailing regatta. The wind almost always came from the north-northeast - the sailors did not have to cross against the wind, but were mostly able to sail with half the wind. The wind only shifted to the west in the course of Saturday morning.
"It was good," says Andreas Ober, chairman of the organising Lindau Sailing Club at the end of the Rund Um. "The sailors had perfect conditions. A relatively warm and, above all, dry night, plus almost always wind from the right direction. When was the last time we had a large field off Lindau shortly after sunrise? And so many beaming sailors?"
Race organiser Hubert Henzler added: "We were spared any major accidents. Only shortly after the start did the "Wild Lady" touch the bell chime and then ran aground." With a draught of 3.40 metres, the "Wild Lady" is one of the largest ships in the Rund Um. However, she managed to get free again under her own steam.
With almost 2000 sailors and over 300 boats, the Rund Um is the largest sailing event on Lake Constance. The 100-kilometre route leads from Lindau via Romanshorn and Constance to Überlingen and back to the finish in Lindau.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
