boot Düsseldorf 2025: Burke/Fink on the record attempt, their racing team and the Vendée Globe
Max Gasser
· 24.01.2025
YACHT: Your record attempt around Denmark is actually underway. Why are you here at boot Düsseldorf instead of sailing?
Lennart Burke: That's an easy question to answer. We're still on standby and the right weather window hasn't opened yet. Every now and then one opens and then we get nervous and prepare everything. But then it closes again within 24 hours. But we have brought time with us and really want to break the record and be properly prepared.
But surely you'll still be at the fair over the next few days?
Melwin Fink: It could be that we set off. If the weather is favourable, then we'll set off. We have a great team here at our stand (Hall 15/B22). But for now, we'll be on site to present our projects, of course: Our mini project, our Class40 project and everything we do around these regatta topics. And, of course, to promote our yacht yard, our sailmaking workshop and our new cordage shop.
What highlights await you in the coming season?
Lennart Burke: First of all, of course, the record ride. To break the record around Denmark, we have to finish in under 70 hours. After that, we will be travelling to France in mid-March to train with our training group. As we do every year, we prepare for the first regattas. This year we will be taking part in three races. It will be the Normandy Channel Race, the Rolex Fastnet Race and then the Transat Jacques Vabre again, which has been renamed the Transat Café L'Or this year.
Have you set yourselves fixed goals for these highlights?
Melwin Fink: Of course, we sail regattas to be at the very front. And you can definitely say that we want to be in the top 5 next season. And maybe even finish on the podium, who knows.
How do you rate your current role in the class?
Lennart Burke: It was an impressive start to the Class40 for us. During the training sessions, we were actually still getting a bit of a battering and were really lagging behind. But to finish in the top 10 at the first regatta was unimaginable for us. And for everyone else too. A lot of people opened their eyes.
We've now had two seasons in Class40 and have learnt a lot. Of course, we have lagged behind here and there for budget reasons. A lot of people have rebuilt their boats, fitted new keels and bought a lot of new sails. We couldn't do that. So this year we are once again relying on the experience we have gained with the boat. And our young energy to get to the front. We also have a few projects planned for our boat and are confident that we will definitely be able to compete well next season.
In addition to your own project, you are also involved in promoting young talent in the offshore sector. With Tom Wehde, you have brought a new Mini 6.50 sailor on board in an interesting way. How did you come to organise a talent competition?
Lennart Burke: Last year, we started out with Jonas Kroner worked. That's when the idea was born to bring a young sailor to the start of the next Mini-Transat together with Melvin, Jonas and myself. Unfortunately, Jonas fell ill and had to pull out. We were forced to look for someone new. Someone who is at least as great a person and great a sailor as Jonas. Then, together with the sponsor, we decided to organise a proper casting and give as many people as possible the chance to introduce themselves and show what they can do. We received almost 50 applications, which was really incredible. We didn't expect so many interested people in Germany.
How did the competition go? What did you test?
Melwin Fink: We selected the six best from the applications and invited them to the headquarters of sponsor Osterrath GmbH & Co. KG in Bad Laasphe. They then had to pass a few tests there. On the one hand, there were technical tasks: A splicing task, an electrical circuit that had to be made common again, and they were asked many more questions. Our master boat builder asked technical questions. We asked a few campaign-specific questions and talked about past sailing experience.
In the end, we chose the skipper who, in our opinion, had the best approach to the technical tasks and the best answers to all the other questions: Tom Wehde, our new skipper.
What makes it special?
Lennart Burke: We attached great importance to the fact that the person is not just a sailing crack and the best sailor of all. Because there is much, much, much more to a campaign like this. So of course it was also important that Tom could present himself well, talk about himself well and convey his enthusiasm. Because if you just sit there bored and can't say anything, then nobody wants to support you. And the sponsors don't want to identify with you. Of course that doesn't work. But the technical side is also very important, so that you can repair your boat when you're alone on the Atlantic. And the mental side was also important.
We have tried to find a balance so that we have someone who performs well to satisfactorily in everything. Very good in everything is really difficult. Especially if we want to support someone young, we won't find someone who is already perfect in everything. Then we would have had to look at the Figaro sailors or something. But Tom convinced us to take him on and give him the chance to become a professional sailor or to gain a foothold in the professional sailing scene.
For most offshore sailors, the Vendée Globe is right at the top of their career dreams. How have you been following the action over the past few weeks?
Melwin Fink: To be honest, we see it more as entertainment. Of course, we are intensively involved and also deal with the weather. But it's not as if we're doing that in addition to the Race tracker open up even more computers to carry out analyses. That's not our approach. We check it out, watch all the videos and keep our fingers crossed for Boris. But we're more like tourists at the regatta.
Are you planning to take part in the event in the future?
Lennart Burke: Anyone who says no when someone comes round the corner with a project like this and says 'let's do it together' or 'I'd like to finance it' is, I think, really stupid. But we're not going to work hard ourselves to sail the next Vendée Globe in four years' time or anything like that. We want to be honest with ourselves: We're young, we're still inexperienced in the scene. We can still learn much, much more. We haven't won any big victories yet. And we want to do that first before we take the next step and sail the Vendée Globe. Because when we do, we want to want to win. And that will take many, many years.
Melwin Fink: First of all, we have to win regattas in our class and then we can look further ahead. We're still a little way off that. A little bit. (laughs) And then maybe we'll go further.
