The safety boat crew meets for the morning briefing during the Travemünde Week. Photo: segel-bilder.de
Three organisations work hand in hand at the Travemünde Week in the area of safety: the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the German Red Cross Water Rescue Service and the DLRG. Together they provide the safety boats on the regatta courses. Each group takes on a specific function on the water. They complement each other perfectly and provide safe support for all sailors. A total of 36 lifeboats will be in action during the 135th Travemünde Week. They become particularly important when there is heavy weather. If special conditions arise that make help necessary, the emergency services from the THW, the DRK Wasserwacht and DLRG are on hand with lifeboats.

“We distribute the boats to the appropriate regatta courses and have strong digital support with control centre software. For our colleagues on the courses, we are called the ‘Travemünde Week Control Centre’. We track every lifeboat and every start boat to see where they are,” explains Sven Slowak, Head of Operations at THW. Tracking is necessary in order to know exactly where help is needed and who is nearby in an emergency. “This is a piece of security that we have built up over a good ten years of hard work. We have 36 ships with around 120 people with different qualifications. The THW has a very technical focus. We are responsible for setting up and dismantling the lanes, we tow and provide support in the event of technical difficulties such as material breakage. The primary purpose of the DRK Wasserwacht and DLRG is rescue operations. But it has to be said: On the course, we are all one team, no matter what happens.”
Sven Slowak shares the operational management for Travemünde Week with Ulrike Sündermann from the German Red Cross Water Rescue Service. “If a boat capsizes, we pull up and ask whether help is needed and provide support if necessary, for example by righting the boat. We can provide direct care on site and – if necessary – liaise with the rescue service on land to hand over any injured crew members. Each boat is manned by at least three crew members: a boat driver, a lifeguard and medical personnel, from paramedics to doctors, who can treat injured people on site or during the journey to the harbour,” explains Ulrike Sündermann.

During Travemünde Week, the boats and crews of the THW and the DRK water rescue organisation form a joint fleet. Photo: segel-bilder.de
International treats as a thank you
Two volunteers of the 135th Travemünde Week received a very special surprise gift as a thank you for their work. The members of the international jury presented Antje Fuhr Plesse, Jury Secretary, and Astrid Schmidt, responsible for team accommodation, clothing and pitches at TW, with a gift basket containing culinary specialities and souvenirs from their home countries. The two volunteers were delighted with the original gift, which included everything from homemade cherry liqueur from Poland and short bread from the UK to travel bags from a North German sailmaker.
The idea for the gift came from the jury itself. Long-standing jury member Manuel Hünsch suggested the gift. “Every year it became more difficult to come up with a new gift for our jury advisor Antje Fuhr Plesse. That’s how the idea of the gift basket came about, to which everyone contributed something typical of their home region. The result was a great mix of gifts. As Astrid Schmidt has also been taking great care of our accommodation and team clothing for years, this year’s gift goes to two ladies from the team of volunteers,” explains Hünsch. The two women are still trying to decide which of the potpourri of goodies to sample first. “It all looks great,” they agree.

Astrid Schmidt (left) and Antje Fuhr Plesse were delighted to receive the gift basket from the jury, which Manuel Hünsch had suggested. Photo: Katrin Heidemann