The Ocean Race: Kiel fly-by - a declaration of love to the circumnavigators
Tatjana Pokorny
· 09.06.2023
The banks were packed with fans. Waves of la-ola, cheers and loud blaring ship's horns repeatedly created a goosebump atmosphere on the Kiel Fjord on this Friday afternoon: The Ocean Race fly-by was a celebration of sailing. More than 25,000 spectators flocked to the Ocean Live Park and lined the banks along the Kiellinie. More than 2,000 boats on the fjord provided impressive images and a unique welcome for the Imocas. The fleet of circumnavigators roared into the inner fjord in mostly light winds.
Many thanks to everyone who came to Kiel. Kiel has shown itself from its best side." Boris Herrmann
"That was a spectacular passage that will remain unforgettable - for all of us on board. Many thanks to everyone who came to Kiel. Kiel showed itself from its best side, a perfectly organised fly-by. The fairway was kept clear, the passage was safe," summarised "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper Boris Herrmann from Team Malizia after the beautiful show race in the fjord.
The fact that the flying visit also brought navigational challenges for the sailors was due to the large number of spectators and the narrowness of the unusual city course when sailing into the inner harbour. Boris Herrmann said: "Of course we were still tense in the gusty wind, where the boat also changes speed so quickly. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to stand and wave to the fans."
The Kiel fly-by was a very special highlight, just like the passage of Cape Horn." Boris Herrmann
In terms of sailing, all crews were required to be highly focussed during the fly-by. Boris Herrmann explained: "We were very focused on adjusting and manoeuvring the boat. We were pushed to the limit with two female sailors and two male sailors on board. We are now pretty exhausted after the last night, but it was great fun. Now we're looking forward to the last few nautical miles around Skagen and through the North Sea to The Hague. We want to be at the front of the pack again. It's going to be difficult now, but we'll see what we can do."
Boris Herrmann remembers the Kiel sailing summit as one of the highlights of the 14th The Ocean Race: "It was a very special highlight, just like the passage of Cape Horn." The 42-year-old from Hamburg also explained in Kiel that his team had lost some ground on the boats in front on the first night of the leg: "We just didn't have such a lucky hand that night, but we gave it our all. We believe that there is still something in it for us on this leg and will continue to give our all."
Despite finishing in the back of the pack: stormy cheers for the German Ocean Race sailors
The Ocean Race leaders from the US team 11th Hour Racing were the first to round the turning mark just off the keel line. They were followed by the Swiss team Holcim-PRB and the French team Biotherm, before the German sailors were celebrated enthusiastically in the race despite finishing in fourth and fifth place. Guyot Environnement - Team Europe rounded the turning mark with Berliners Robert Stanjek and Phillip Kasüske just under ten minutes ahead of Herrmann's Team Malizia.
For Team Guyot, the rounding was the fulfilment of a dream eight years in the making. That's how long Berlin-based team manager and music producer Jens Kuhphal, Robert Stanjek and Offshore Team Germany had been working towards their participation in the Ocean Race. Together with French skipper Ben Dutreux and his group, Guyot Environnement - Team Europe was formed.
That's the icing on the cake of the race." Robert Stanjek
Team Guyot had to retire twice from this 14th edition of the race around the world due to damage to the hull on the Cape Horn King stage and a broken mast on stage four. The comeback was successful twice. Most recently thanks to the combined forces of Kiel with an intensive lightning repair at the Knierim Yachtbau shipyard in Kiel.
"We have contributed to the fact that there is a turning mark at the Kiel fly-by. It couldn't be that the others round it and we don't," said Jens Kuphal before the Kiel Ocean Race Summit. There was a goosebump atmosphere on board "Guyot" as the black hull moved round the white buoy. "This is the icing on the cake of the race," said co-skipper Robert Stanjek at this highlight of his first Ocean Race.
The decision in the battle for overall victory will only be made on the course to Genoa
No points were awarded at the show race of the futuristic foilers in Kiel. The sixth and penultimate leg will take the field to The Hague, where the boats are expected to arrive on Sunday. Only there will the points be distributed to the teams' Ocean Race accounts before the overall victory is decided on the final leg to the Italian finish harbour of Genoa.
21 years after the first German triumph of the "illbruck", hopes have sunk that a yacht under the German flag could win again with "Malizia - Seaexplorer". The "illbruck", which was successful in the Ocean Race 2002/2002, accompanied the fleet from Aarhus to Kiel under its new name "Glashäger" and with a blue look. However, she was unable to transfer her former success to "Malizia - Seaexplorer", at least for the first third of the sixth leg.
