The Hamburg Sailing Club brought together 31 wooden boats on the Alster for the 34th edition of the Summer Classics. The event is aimed at classic dinghies and dinghy cruisers that are built of wood and are at least 25 years old. The field of participants comprised twelve different boat classes, ranging from the compact 12-foot dinghy with an Olympic history, measuring 3.66 metres in length, to the wooden Dragon, just under nine metres long. The regatta was blessed with proper summer weather and plenty of sunshine, although light winds on Saturday meant slow and shortened races. Sunday brought fresher winds and, with them, a shift in the balance of power on the water. The event attracted attention beyond the sailing community; NDR reported on the regatta, and the film crew were delighted by the beauty of the historic sailing boats and the friendly atmosphere amongst the competitors on the jetty.
A sailing history at the Hamburg Summer Classics
The H-Jolle “Herta” was the oldest boat in the fleet this year. This 6.20-metre-long classic dates from 1935 and was built by Berkholz and Gärsch in Berlin. The curved gaff makes the Berlin H-Jolle a real feast for the eyes; the owners – like all participants – presented their boat in immaculate condition and fully equipped for regattas. The HSC’s chairman, Daniel Baum, also took to the water with his son Fritz on the Elbe H-jolly “Frida”. His deputy, Wolf-Dieter Jahn, sailed the FD “Brigitte”, a class of boat that held Olympic status from 1960 to 1992. The YACHT team took to the water in the “Zugvogel” with construction number 1, built in 1962. The Dragons, with their long overhangs, are reminiscent of miniature 12mR yachts and took up a lot of space on the tight turns around the buoys.
Kangaroo Start and Yardstick System
Race director Johann-Nikolaus Andreae and his team are using the ‘kangaroo start’ method established at the HSC. The slowest boat starts first, and the fastest boat last. Each boat is allocated an individual start time according to its yardstick figure, based on a fixed theoretical race duration for the zero-boat. The start team monitored the start times meticulously. The challenge lies in correctly categorising the twelve different boat classes. The advantage of the staggered start is less commotion at the start of the regatta and an exciting finish, as, in the best-case scenario, all competitors cross the finish line at the same time. In addition to the classes already mentioned, the field also included Pirates, dinghy cruisers, a Hansa dinghy, a 505 and a Phantom Classic. Both dinghy classes, the Dragons and the FDs, were formerly Olympic classes. The 12-foot dinghies competed at the Olympics in 1920 and 1928, whilst the Dragons competed from 1948 to 1972.
Changing conditions characterised the race
The very light winds on Saturday favoured the modern racers. The Phantom Classic, FD and the 505 ‘Vollholzschönschwer’ worked their way from the very back through the slowly bobbing fleet to the front. The fresher wind on Sunday significantly altered the balance of power. In the third of four races, the Pirat “Avanti” pulled off a surprise victory ahead of the three 12-foot dinghies. The fourth race provided the much-needed discard for some teams. In the end, Johannes Bahnsen came out on top with the Phantom “Treibholz”. Andreas Jungclaus took second place with the 505 “Vollholzschönschwer”. Marc Girardet completed the podium in third place with the 12-foot dinghy “Windsangh”.
Events and supporting programme
The regatta went off largely without any major damage. One dinghy capsized, but the crew escaped with only minor injuries. There was a sporting collision between an H-Jolle and a Zugvogel, causing significant damage to the Zugvogel; fortunately, the sailors were unharmed. The organisers awarded numerous prizes thanks to several sponsors. In addition to the points prizes, participants received a wide range of special prizes, meaning that hardly anyone went home empty-handed. Some sailors almost needed a wheelbarrow to carry their prizes.
Results:
Overall standings:
- 1. Johannes Bahnsen (Phantom TREIBHOLZ)
- 2. Andreas Jungclaus (505 VOLHOLZSCHÖNSCHWER)
- 3. Marc Girardet (12-foot dinghy WINDSANGH)