Night regatta Ærø Rund: Co-organiser Popkowitz - replacement after 30 years?

Tell me, Mr Popkowitz, are things running smoothly without you?

It's all very well organised. Seating is set up in the Ærø Hall for our 350 or so participants, tables are laid, and a delicious Danish buffet is delivered from the Ærøhus. Everything is now on account and is organised by the Schilkseer Yacht Club secretariat.

You have been organising this award ceremony for 30 years, what has motivated you for so long?

Among other things, that I now know so many people on Ærø. I also enjoy being there with our boat. But this is my last appearance up there.

Why?

Next year I'll be 90 years old, so I just want to be there as a guest and no longer stand on stage and make a mess of things.

Was it difficult to find a successor?

Nobody does it voluntarily.

How did you get involved yourself?

During the preparations for the first Ærø round-the-world regatta in 1994, there was a night regatta with very little participation. To change this, the chairmen of the Kiel Sailing Association, the Baltic Sailing Club, the Schilkseer Yacht Club and the Gode Wind Yacht Club - that was me. It was decided to sail around Ærø in future, with a party in Marstal on Saturday evening and a return race on Sunday. And the tasks were allocated. Who would organise the race committee, the starting boats and the finishing boats, the prize-giving ceremony for the return race in winter...

...and you took over the event part on Ærø...

That was foisted on me. And two years later, I also took over price management.

How did the regatta develop?

Around 40 boats took part in the very first race and the number quickly grew. Today it is a real cult event.

What was the recipe for success?

The special experience. The sunset, the sunrise, and in between sailing together through the night in the moonlight - there is a greater sense of security when you are travelling in such a large fleet. And we deliberately kept the race very simple with a very simple course around just one turning mark in the north of the island and then crossing the finish line off Æroskøbing. In addition, the prize list has become longer and longer over the years.

What is there to win?

We sail in three groups for the Marstal Lamp. This is a travelling prize that each skipper and each yacht can only win once. We wanted to appeal specifically to cruising sailors. However, many prizes have been added over the years. And now many ambitious regatta crews also use the Ærø Round Regatta as training for Kiel Week.

What does your job as an organisation manager on Ærø look like?

I'm already on the motorway at half past four in the morning. With about 70 prices in the boot. The first hurdle is customs, I'm happy if I get through without being checked, because I have to get the ferry in Fynshav. Then I drive from Søby to Marstal to the large Ærø hall and start setting up and decorating the prizes. And then the evening starts with the prize-giving ceremony and buffet. Before I leave the island the next day, I book the Ærø Hall for next year. After all, there is a fixed date, the weekend before Kiel Week.

This year, the start falls on Friday, 13 ...

That's not very happy. We've been through this before. That went completely wrong.

In what way?

The entire field was stuck in a leaden calm. The course was shortened to just a few nautical miles to a finish on the Stollergrund, and yet only a handful of participants made it there.

Have you had more luck with your succession?

Yes, two members of my yacht club Gode Wind want to meet me on site this year and have a look at the organisation to decide whether they are confident enough to take over the task from me.

Why is it so difficult to find successors for such an honorary position?

In terms of time. And who has a wife like mine at their side, I couldn't do it without her!

Interview: Lasse Johannsen