Classic schooners and ultra-modern high-tech yachts between 12 and 50 metres in length will be on display in the heart of Hamburg at the beginning of July.
A touch of St. Tropez will be felt in the Hanseatic city when the participants in the DaimlerChrysler North Atlantic Challenge transatlantic regatta sail up the Elbe to the festival week after crossing the finish line in Cuxhaven. It will be celebrated on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Hamburgischer Verein Seefahrt (HVS) from 4 to 12 July in an exclusive Race Village on the Kehrwiederspitze in front of the Hanseatic Trade Centre.
For the first time, the port city of Hamburg is expecting far more than 50 regatta yachts at once, which will start on 14-21 June in Newport, Rhode Island/USA. The largest of them, including the 46.51 metre long "Windrose" from the Netherlands (built in 2001) and the 43.59 metre long "Sylvia" (owned by Jens Ehrhardt/Pullach) from 1925 as the oldest ship, will be moored in the Brandenburger Hafen next to the Überseebrücke, but most of them will be moored in the City Sports Harbour on Baumwall. Event manager Henning Rocholl, who is also 2nd chairman of the HVS and the regatta organiser Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) Hamburg, expects "a unique maritime ambience with gems for all sea and lake lovers", as all the racers can be viewed up close.
Those who make the pilgrimage to the event site at Sandtorkai will not only meet the Atlantic crossers at the jetties, but also in the Race Village, which opens its doors daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and even until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. The staging on the historic Kehrwiederspitze, where Hamburg's main harbour, the Niederhafen, once opened onto the Brook Islands, is also a novelty for Hamburg. Where the Hanseatic Trade Centre stands today, there were only small half-timbered houses for dock workers in the 18th and 19th centuries and no connection to the mainland. This is how the name Kehrwieder came about, because pedestrians could not cross over, but had to return.
The week of events in July will live up to this name, with alternating themes from the regatta sponsors on different days enticing visitors to return. The partners will present themselves in bright pagoda tents, on the stage and in the outdoor area, above all title sponsor DaimlerChrysler via its branch in Hamburg, the Holsten brewery, Deutsche Bank, SAP, World of TUI, hanseboot and Marinepool (maritime clothing). A highlight will be the public award ceremony on Friday, 11 July, from 3 p.m. in the Oase der Hochseesegler.
"We offer visitors upscale, international gastronomy and a sophisticated entertainment programme," promises Uwe Bergmann from the Hamburg event agency of the same name, which is responsible for the Race Village. The musical performances from the pop sector (soul, jazz, pop, world music) will be heard from 6 p.m., and earlier on weekends. Names such as The Relatives (mixed afro-reggae) and Audrey Motaung & Band (soul, gospel & African music) guarantee a good atmosphere.
The fastest yachts are likely to have already completed the 3500 nautical miles (almost 6500 kilometres) regatta journey from Newport, Rhode Island/USA north around Great Britain to Cuxhaven and moored in time for the opening of the festivities on Friday, 4 July. A presenter will welcome the crews of the new arrivals on stage and ask them about their extraordinary experiences and hardships on the tough voyage. Current pictures of the race are shown on a video wall. Aerial shots, boat-to-boat perspectives and on-board impressions of the starts and the course of the race are planned.
The sailing finale of the event week will be the departure parade of the participants in the World of TUI Cup, who will set off for Cuxhaven on Saturday 12 July, where another offshore race to Cowes on the Isle of Whight in southern England will start the following day. This feeder regatta to Cowes Week and the legendary Fastnet Race is open not only to participants in the transatlantic regatta, but also to all monohulls from a length of 36 feet (just under 11 metres).
The NRV, which is organising this race together with the venerable Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) in Cowes, reckons that most boats will need around four days. The awards ceremony for the World of TUI Cup will also take place in the famous RYS castle directly on the Solent. "With the two offshore regattas, we are framing the HVS birthday party in Hamburg in a worthy, sporting manner," concludes Henning Rocholl.
