"Anyone looking for summery and sunny sailing conditions should currently head for the Mediterranean." This is how the current Sailing weather forecast for the weekend starting today. On the other hand, strong winds from westerly directions and rain showers are likely to characterise the North Sea and Baltic coasts. As if that wasn't enough, travelling to the coast will also be difficult. From Friday, 10 p.m. to Monday morning, 5 a.m., the No. 7 motorway will be completely closed between the Hamburg-Schnelsen junction and the Hamburg-Nordwest motorway junction. The diversion recommendations all end with warnings of long traffic jams.
But it would be worth taking to the water. Several high-calibre events should make it difficult for sailors and tourists with an affinity for water sports to decide against making the journey.
Start of the 121st Kiel Week
Sailors love the first weekend of the Traditional event - the onealthoughthe others, because them as part of the Welcome Race show the state capital the rear-view mirror. However, the event has been travelling to Eckernförde since imperial times, and the small fishing village is therefore the stage for all kinds of events on Saturday and a big party in the evening.
Kiel Week Trailer 2015
Rendezvous of the classics
When the participants in the Welcome Race vacate their berths in the city centre on Saturday, they don't stay empty for long. The Friends of Classic Yachts invites you to the Rendezvous of the classics and transforms the promenade in front of the Kiel Yacht Club into a spectator grandstand with a view of a harbour basin full of yachting history. Those who love classics will get their money's worth here.
Year of the Twelve
The organisers of Kiel Week have long recognised the value of the classics as a crowd-puller. In the official press release, particular reference is made to the announced twelve-man races:
This year, the most beautiful of the beautiful will become the official Kieler Woche class. On Sunday (21 June) and Monday (22 June), the twelve-metre boats will take to the course for the 12mR Kieler Woche Trophy. Around a dozen boats from the more than 100-year-old measurement class, which dominated the America's Cup duels between 1958 and 1987, are expected off Kiel.
Kiel Week is the prelude to a whole series of twelve-boat events in the waters of the western Baltic Sea. After the Rendezvous of the Classics and the Kieler Woche Trophy, the fleet will head to Dyvig on the island of Alsen in Denmark and from there to Glücksburg, where the European Championship of the 12mR class will be sailed from 1 to 5 July.
Lasse Johannsen
Deputy Editor in Chief YACHT
Born in Kiel, grew up on the water and on board, trained as a sailor in the club and sailing on the North and Baltic Seas. After school, navy and legal training, he worked as a trainee at YACHT from 2007-2009 in the Panorama department, which he now heads. He is also responsible for the special edition of YACHT classic, has published several books with Delius-Klasing and is deputy editor-in-chief of YACHT. Johannsen is an enthusiastic cruising sailor on his own keel and an active supporter of the German classic boat scene.
