It was only in 2021 that German sailor Melanie Höveler learnt to sail on Lake Garda. Five years later, the 53-year-old is competing at the forefront of the RS 21 class Eurocup during the 137th Travemünde Week as skipper of an Italian crew. Her boat is called RS Enterprise, a nod to the new adventure she has embarked upon.
“I don’t have any children, so I thought I’d try something new,” says Höveler. No sooner said than done: the Munich-based lawyer then learnt to sail in the RS Quest class on Lake Garda. Almost at the same time, the sporty RS 21 keelboat was launched on the market. Without further ado, Höveler bought one and from then on took part in regattas with her own crew.
There’s a simple explanation for the fact that she sails exclusively with Italians. “Back home in Munich, I didn’t know any regatta sailors, but I certainly did from the sailing school on Lake Garda. The RS 21 class is very popular in Italy among both professionals and amateurs. There are 20 to 30 boats at every regatta. What’s more, there’s a strong Italian professional community,” says the skipper. One of her former crew members is now part of the Italian SailGP team.
“Melair” is the name of Melanie Höveler’s team, which mainly comes together for the regattas – there are four this year. Outside of the regattas, her boat is usually stored in a hangar in Italy. She herself trains on Lake Garda in the RS 500 class. “I can work remotely and rent an apartment on Lake Garda for that. That way, I get to do a lot of sailing,” says the lawyer.
When the Munich native takes part in regattas with her crew, she’s still learning in two areas: on the one hand, at helming; on the other, her Italian language skills. “We communicate on board half in Italian, half in English, but my Italian is getting better and better – a positive side effect of sailing the RS-21,” says Höveler happily.
Listening to the crew’s conversations, it’s clear that Höveler’s Italian is already quite good. A glance at the results list shows that the skipper is also doing a brilliant job at the helm. “We knew beforehand that we could hold our own, but this is the first time we’ve sailed with this team line-up. Things are going really well, though. The weather conditions suit us well. We could even do with a bit more wind. We’re used to 20-knot winds on Lake Garda,” says Höveler.
The “Melair” team is currently in third place. The lead is held by the Italian Davide Albertini Petroni and his crew, followed by the Polish team skippered by Lukas Wosinsky.
RS 200 / RS 400:
In the RS 200 class, the British duo of Ian Pickard and Laurie Callaghan remained in the lead on the penultimate day of the event. They are followed by Jan Myslik and Eliska Myslikova. Their goal for tomorrow, the final day of their European Championships, is clear. “The wind was lovely today. Tomorrow, it’s all about defending second place for us,” says Myslik, who took part in Travemünde Week over 20 years ago in a different boat class. Imogen Green and Nicola Richards are currently in third place in the RS 200. In the all-British field of the RS 400, John Reekie and Justin Denny continue to lead the way.
RS Feva:
The top three in the RS Feva XL class currently represent a variety of nations. The British pair Cassius Day and Harry O’Callaghan lead, ahead of Elle Marie Kangur and Marleen Poolamets from Estonia. Ahead of Sunday’s final, the Italians Edoardo Bastini and Samuele Bardelli are in third place.
