Flensburger Segel-Club took the lead after the first of three regatta days at the Bundesliga opener off Starnberg. However, they are only just ahead of the German Touring Yacht Club and the host Bavarian Yacht Club and are level on points. All three leaders earned eight points each in the high-point scoring system on Friday on the J70 boats in the first two races.
The Chiemsee Yacht Club and the Kiel Yacht Club are close behind with seven points each. Although the Seglerhaus club and the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein each won a race, the co-favourites also suffered setbacks in the light winds of around seven knots in their first encounters and initially finished in sixth and seventh place in the classification. "We got off to a good start but allowed ourselves to be pinched off," reported VSaW tactician Ulrike Schümann about the less successful race, "then you hardly stand a chance in these quarter-hour sprints."
With just one point each, the Lübecker Yacht-Club and the sailing team Das Wappen von Bremen made acquaintance with the relegation places right at the start. As one of the five newcomers to the Bundesliga, the Düsseldorfer Yacht-Club and its young team were initially able to work their way up to tenth place. Julius Schrader said: "We are more than satisfied with our position after a fifth and a second place. Our goal is to stay in the class and prove ourselves as newcomers in the 1st league."
The first regatta of the second Bundesliga season continues today and ends on Sunday afternoon after a maximum of 45 races with the award ceremony. The races will be broadcast live on the internet with commentary from 10 am.
The starting whistle has been blown for the 2014 German Sailing League. Off Starnberg, 18 clubs are battling it out for the perfect start. Here is a recording of the events on the first day.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
