Doldrums caused tension

Featured image: After a long wait, the star boats managed to cross the course after all. Photo: segel-bilder.de

Five fresh classes for Travemünde Week, but no fresh wind: The second half of the regatta week started with long waiting times for race officers and athletes and high nervous tension. An early finish was not rewarded. After a lunch break ashore, the regatta organisers started a second attempt. Once again it was a tough business, but in the end a programme for starlings, congers, keelboats, Olympic dinghies and teens was still possible. The IC Canoe also had their interlude competition on the programme.

The IC Canoe put their world championship competition on the side this Thursday. Nevertheless, the competition was fierce. For the class, it was all about the New York Canoe Club Challenge Trophy. The second oldest sailing trophy in the world, a Nations Cup, was to be awarded for the 30th time during the Travemünde Week. After two races between Germany and Great Britain, one nation had won each race before a third race had to be cancelled due to a lack of wind.

The fact that the trophy was being fought over vigorously and with great determination became clear on the water. The race organisers ordered a second jury boat to race between the three boats from each nation. But even the jury could not prevent a protest by the British against the German victory from being lodged in the evening. This meant that the decision on the award of the silver pot went into extra time at the green table during the night. In addition, eleven classes should have been sent out onto the courses on Thursday. But one by one the flags for cancellation of the races went up on the signal masts. For the Foxtrot course, located in the lee of the Brodten cliffs, the first decision was that the Flying Junior and Javelin classes could take their sails down again. This was followed by the neighbouring Alpha course for the Formula 18, and the Typhoons were also able to stay ashore.

The Star boats fought hard for a start. However, the light winds and the overzealousness of the participants with a few early starts meant that all efforts to get the former Olympic class onto the course on the first day of their International German Championship in a regatta-compliant manner were in vain for a long time. The first race was won by Nick Heuwinkel/Jesper Spehr (Kiel).

The courses along the Mecklenburg coast with the four classes represented there (Optimists, Kielzugvogel, Conger and Olympic dinghy) also tried for a long time to get something countable in the books. These efforts were not rewarded in the Optimists. For the other three classes, however, the race continued into the evening.

Travemünder Woche Regatta und Festival

Alternative means of transport were in demand when travelling to the regatta course. Photo: segel-bilder.de

Manfred Brändle/Stefanie Gouverneur (Duisburg) came out on top in the keel draft birds. Julia Pechstein/Wolfgang Goeken (Hamburg) won the first race of the congers, and the first winner in the small field of Olympic dinghies was Roland Franzmann (Scheppen). The teens were even able to provide sporting action twice. Firstly, there was a race on the course for the German Youth Championship, then 16 youth crews also sailed for the prize money in the Volksbank Trave Race. While the Berlin team Hanna Sobotka/Storm-Ole Harreuter were delighted with their victory and thus the lead in the German Youth Championship, all the teens could feel like winners after the Trave Race, as the prize money went to the class fund.

Travemünder Woche Regatta und Festival

A dip in the cool water ensured a cool head before the late race. Photo: segel-bilder.de

In the evening, the sea sailors set off on the long course with a presumably protracted race. They started the Rund Fehmarn regatta. The wind forecasts suggest that no record will be broken on the course that night.

Sailing results