The Travemünde Week came to a gentle end in its 136th edition. At least the wind ensured that the competitors on the five courses did not have to overexert themselves on Saturday. This meant that the final day was a shortened affair for seven classes. Due to a lack of breeze on the Mecklenburg coast, the three Topcat classes ended the international championships without any further races, crowning the Treichel twins in K1, Robert Zank/Tim Stiegler in K2, and Paul Säger, athletes from Wolfsburg, Ammersee, and Frankfurt, as their new champions.
The decision at the International German Championships in the Dyas class was clear and repeated. As last year, the German champions are Jens Olbrysch/Norbert Schmidt (Herrsching). The Open Skiff class ended its title fight faster than expected. After only three days instead of four, the young sailors had completed all ten races and crowned Mila Weniger once again as Germany’s best.
Pure joy reigned among the successful Topcat crews after their successful performance in Travemünde. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
For many of the yachts and boats belonging to the regatta organisation, the return journey from the race course to the harbour on Saturday turned into a duck race. Many had a large entourage in tow. To make the journey home easier for the competitors, they threw out tow lines and pulled the fleets home.
This service was well received – even by the new European champions in the Topcat K1 class: ‘Everything was really well organised here – even the return transport from the course,’ said Sascha Treichel, who clearly won the European Championships and the World Cup held in parallel with his twin brother Rene. They had six victories in the series of ten races: ‘The wind was really good until the last day. And as sailors, we know how to weather the rain in between.’ The Wolfsburg team had a certain home advantage over their competitors from the Alpine regions: ‘We are closer to the north than the south. That’s why we are often on the Baltic Sea and know the Bay of Lübeck from regattas in Scharbeutz.’ They gained the decisive advantage over their pursuers through their better performance on the downwind course.
Back to shore in single file. Due to a lack of wind, the Topcats were towed off the course. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
The international class boss Mathias Equiluz followed in second place with Susanne Wallner (Austria) at the bow. Sebastian Pfohl/Marco Schleich (Chiemsee) came third in the small field of only eleven participating boats. ‘Unfortunately, the field wasn’t that big. Like many classes, we are currently suffering from low registration numbers. But we now have some young talent coming through. I hope things will pick up again,’ said Sascha Treichel.
The Topcat K2 field was even smaller, with only nine starters. And the battle for the international championship was decided early on. Robert Zank from Ammersee and bowman Tim Stiegler sailed in a league of their own with seven wins, two second places and one third place, leaving Tobias and Helena Glasl (Bad Wiessee) and Sven and Jannis Kühl behind them.
Paul Säger (right) was delighted with his success in the K3 class and celebrated with his competitors by taking a victory dip in the Baltic Sea. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
There was great jubilation for Paul Säger in his solo-sailed Topcat K3. The Frankfurt native, who learned to sail from his father as a bowman, has only recently started sailing solo in the K3 class: ‘This is my first title as a solo sailor, so it’s very special. Except for the last day, we had wonderful conditions. I got off to a good start in the championship because I took more risks. It paid off,’ reported the history and political science student, who earns his living as a working student at the Topcat shipyard and is also active as a youth trainer for catamarans. The Travemünde Week was pure pleasure for him: ‘I love the Baltic Sea, but I haven’t been here for ten years. The class felt at home here. We’d love to come back.’ The other podium places after ten races went to Christian Enzmann from Walchensee and Jakub Drygas from Poland.
Mila Weniger from Thuringia can celebrate being crowned champion without a blemish. The 13-year-old didn’t put a foot wrong in the Open Skiffs class at the German Nationals. The sailor from the Zeulenroda reservoir achieved the feat of winning every single race in the series, meaning she didn’t even need to win one race. She thus repeated her title win from last year. Club colleague Amy Konrad followed in second place, with Florian Schlupp from Lusatia taking third. ‘I’m super happy. I didn’t expect that,’ beamed the winner after returning to shore. The joy was even greater in view of the places behind her: ‘The three of us are best friends, we’re together every weekend and train a lot together.’ The trio wants to enjoy this camaraderie even more. ‘I definitely want to continue sailing Open Skiff next year. After that, I want to try out what I enjoy most. That’s what it’s all about,’ explained Mila Weniger, who still has the European Championships in Barcelona in October on her schedule this year.
Mila Weniger had everything under control at all times in the Open Skiff class. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
The Travemünde Week was a great success for the old and new German champions in the Dyas class, and not just because of their achievements. ‘There’s a family atmosphere here. That’s why we always like coming here. It’s great to camp here. We had good weather. And it was okay that we didn’t have mega winds here. We had fun,’ said IDM winner Jens Olbrysch, who was delighted with a host of trophies in the class alongside his bowman Norbert Schmidt. In terms of sport, he is now switching to a water-based activity. His son is an active ski racer, so it’s off to the ski hall to prepare for the season. IDM silver went to North German champions Arndt Fingerhut/Andreas Malcher (Edersee) ahead of experienced Moselle sailor Michael Weber with Ralf Stuhlemmer from Kiel as his bowman.
Jens Olbrysch and Norbert Schmidt (centre) celebrated their victory in the Dyas IDM. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
Further trophies were awarded on Saturday to the winners of the ranking regattas in the 470, O-Jolle and Kielzugvogel classes. In the only race of the day, Bernard Boime/Gilles Espinasse from France confidently defended their first place in the 470 class. Behind them, however, there were some changes: Kristof Doffing/Jan Kaminski (Langen) from Hesse secured another medal for Germany in the international field. With second place in the last race, they also moved up to silver overall ahead of the Swiss Frederik Huck/Gabriele Konrad.
Things did not go well at all for the leader in the O-Jollen class. However, Dutchman Thies Bosch was able to have his early start disqualification from Saturday’s race overturned and thus remained in first place ahead of Ingo Hüter and Arne Assmann from Lübeck.
The decision in the Kielzugvögel class was extremely close. Axel Fischer/Michael Schiermann (Gifhorn), who had been in the lead from the start, lost their advantage over Wolfgang Emrich/Klaus Ebbinghaus (Wörthsee) after the eighth race. With equal points, the majority of wins decided in favour of Fischer/Schiermann. Third place went to the mixed duo Manfred Brändle/Stefanie Gouverneur (Duisburg).
Even before the Formula 18 regatta had finished, Paul Kohlhoff (Kiel) had already ended his Travemünde Week adventure. The 2021 Olympic bronze medallist in the Nacra 17 class had taken to the water with Tom Heinrich (Pönitz) in a borrowed catamaran. But things didn’t go smoothly for the spontaneously assembled duo: ‘We really put the borrowed boat through its paces. After a broken sail on Thursday and a collision on Friday, we decided not to risk any further damage and to end the regatta early,’ reported Kohlhoff. In the F18 class, all eyes are now on whether brothers Helge and Christian Sach can add to their record at Travemünde Week with another victory, bringing their total to 23. In the only race on Saturday, they secured another victory and lead ahead of Jesse and Sven Lindstädt (Hamburg).
In light winds, Helge and Christian Sach put all their expertise into trimming the Formula 18 and are on course for their 23rd victory at Travemünde Week. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
A German title will also be awarded on Sunday. In the Seascape 18 class, Germany and Sweden are battling it out for the German Open. After five races, the advantage lies with Germany. With a second and a first place on Saturday, Walter Wüllenweber/Martin Schmidt (Hamburg) moved past Sweden’s Anders Joensson/Henrik Aulin into first place. A maximum of three races on Sunday will decide the outcome.
The second middle-distance race on the Seebahn rounds off the programme on the final day of the 136th Travemünde Week.
Like father, like daughter: Lorenz and Anna Buchler form a race director team
The Buchlers from Berlin are in the same boat, or rather on the same starting ship. Since this year, the Berlin Yacht Club (BYC) has been supporting Travemünde Week as a co-organiser and managing Course Charlie with its own team of race officers. The team led by international race officer Lorenz Buchler includes his 17-year-old daughter Anna, who is also a licensed race officer.
International race director Lorenz Buchler is delighted that his daughter Anna was part of his team as race director at Travemünde Week. Photo: Katrin Heidemann
It is thanks to the strict coronavirus rules that Anna Buchler was able to support her father on the start boat of the Sonnenwende Regatta for the first time at the age of twelve. The Opti-A Regatta in June 2020 was the first to be held again during the pandemic. This was also thanks to Anna and Lorenz Buchler. Due to strict official regulations, only two people from the same household plus one other person were allowed on the start boat at any one time. The father-daughter duo made this possible, and Anna switched from sailing to race control.
The schoolgirl had only given up active sailing a year earlier because she could no longer reconcile training with school. “I’d really like to sail a J/70. But it’s just not possible at the moment because I would miss too much training due to my full-time school. With only one year to go before my A-levels, I only have time for race management. When I stopped sailing, I thought that was it for water sports. But now I’ve managed to do it after all, just on the other side,” says Anna Buchler.
Anna Buchler was given three days off school for her work at Travemünde Week. After graduating from high school next year, the Berlin native wants to get more involved in her sailing club, travel and study business administration in an English-speaking country. She hopes that, alongside her studies, she will have the opportunity to gain international race management experience to bring her a little closer to her big goal. ‘My ultimate goal as a race director is the Olympic Games. Since I started very early, that’s definitely realistic,’ says the student.
Anna Buchler realised that she wanted to delve deeper into race management when she helped out at a J/70 league regatta. “That’s when I realised: this is fun, I want to keep doing it. In 2024, when I was 15, I took the race director seminar and obtained my licence at 16.” Her first assignment as a race director was not long in coming: at the 2025 spring races at her home club, the Berliner Yacht-Club, she sent three different boat classes out onto the course. At Travemünde Week, she is deepening her knowledge as part of her father’s team.
Lorenz Buchler swapped regatta sailing for the position of race director around eight years ago. Prior to that, he was head of the German Topcat Class Association for twelve years and sailed at the top of the Topcat class, recording numerous victories, including one at the International Championships, the unofficial world championship for Topcats. “I always said that I would stop sailing when my children started. And that’s what I did: I accompanied my children to regattas and started working as a race director at the same time. Of course, I’d love to sail again, but I love fast boats, and the Wannsee is too small for that. Besides, I don’t have the time for it at the moment,” says Buchler, who, like his daughter, finds the J/70 class appealing.
It was Anna’s youth leader at the Berlin Yacht Club who gave him the idea of becoming a race director. This was followed by a race director training course, his first Wednesday regattas as race director and, soon after, an Opti regatta. He has been an International Race Director (IRO) since 2019. Buchler was on duty at the Warnemünder Woche and has now been at the Travemünder Woche for two years. However, being a race director is not always easy, says the BYC youth leader. ‘When there is little wind and the team is not well coordinated, it can be difficult,’ he says.
He is delighted that the BYC is now a co-organiser of Travemünde Week: ‘It means a bit of financial effort for the club because we provide motorboats and accommodation for our team, but the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages. We have our own course here, can train race directors and have the opportunity to gain experience with long regatta courses on the Baltic Sea. It’s also great for Anna to learn.’
To round off the day at Bahn Golf, Anna Buchler even took over the race direction. ‘Unfortunately, there was only one race today. I would have liked to have started more races, but everything went well and was fun,’ she summed up on her team’s last day of racing at the 136th Travemünde Week. Next year, she would like to slip into the role of race director a little more in Travemünde.
