In 2023, the Lübeck Yacht Club, the main organiser of the Travemünder Woche, will celebrate its 125th birthday. In keeping with the club’s anniversary, those responsible for the regatta, Jens Kath (Sporting Director), Anderl Denecke (Overall Race Director) and Frank Schärffe (CEO), have put together a racing spectacle with speed and high class for the Travemünder Week (21 to 30 July 2023). Highlights are the World Championships of the Formula 18 catamarans, which are expected to make up the largest field of the 134th TW, as well as the Junior World Championships of the young Olympic skippers in the 49er and 49erFX. The World Championship of the J/22, the European Championship of the O-Jolle, four German Championships, Sailing Champions League and Segelbundesliga as well as other class regattas round off the TW programme. “With the Formula 18 World Championship, a spectacular regatta highlight for the Travemünde Week had already been fixed for a long time. The multihull class has announced a large contingent of participants with over 160 boats,” Jens Kath is pleased to say. “The fact that the two 49er classes have now also confirmed their participation with their junior world championships is great. We will see world-class sailors, potential fighting for Olympic medals in 2024 or 2028.”
Anderl Denecke is also excited about the programme he gets to master on the nine courses together with his race committees: “The Bay of Lübeck offers perfect sailing conditions in summer – both with westerly winds and thermal conditions from the east. This has enabled us to always deliver a full racing programme in the past years. In addition, it has been shown how perfectly the Priwall beach can be used as a starting ramp for title fights. The fact that the 49er classes are now starting their Junior World Championships from here confirms our concept. With the Mövenstein and the Grünstrand for the Formula 18, we can offer further championship-worthy areas on shore. And the other classes on Tornadowiese or in Passathafen will also find perfect conditions for their regattas at TW.”
The organisation on the nine courses and the various event areas on shore is always a challenge. “The Travemünde Week is a tour de force for all the helpers and a big organisational task. Because we have to set up the temporary infrastructure especially for the event days. Therefore, we are very happy that the city of Lübeck particularly emphasises the importance of the Travemünder Woche and includes it in its tourism concept and marketing,” says Frank Schärffe.
The conditions in Travemünde make many class and events return to the Bay of Lübeck again and again. League sailing is a permanent guest in the Bay of Lübeck. In 2022, the Sailing Champions League (SCL) was decided here for the first time on a German venue. The SCL will be back for the 134th TW with a qualifier. And in its eleventh year, the German Sailing League will hold a matchday off Travemünde for the ninth time. It was only in 2019 that German offshore sailors determined their German champions for Travemünde Week, and now they are back with the most important national regatta for big boats.
The first four TW days will show which German teams have the best performance for the World Championships starting two weeks later in front off Kiel. In the second half of TW, the two-man crews on the yachts will determine their national champions in the Offshore Double Hand category. The J/22 and O-Jolle are also firmly established in the programme of the world’s most beautiful regatta week. It is a tradition for the J/22s to place a championship in Travemünde, while the O-Jolle push their otherwise regular ranking regatta up to the European Championship. The dragon class is celebrating a comeback in front of Travemünde. After a few years of absence, they are coming to Lübeck right away with their International German Championship. The majestic boats with their classic lines are always an eye-catcher in the Baltic Sea waves. With the regattas for Finn Dinghy, Hobie 16, Kielzugvogel, Korsar and Trias, it is mainly sailors from Germany who are addressed. The regatta for 12-foot dinghies, on the other hand, is integrated into the international calendar. As a station of the George Cockshott Trophy, Lübeck joins the illustrious circle of organisers from Monaco or Portofino. Most recently, Travemünde was part of the Trophy in 2019. The very young participants of the Travemünde Week are the kite-foilers. In 2022, the German champions in the Olympic discipline Formula Kite were determined here. The participants were so enthusiastic that they now want to be there again.
Thus, the Travemünde Week will once again live up to its high standards, proving itself to be the perfect championship venue and spanning the entire spectrum of sailing on the nine regatta days – from traditional dinghies to the most modern developments in water sports, from individual to team sports, from ambitious Olympic aspirants on speedy skiffs to experienced sailors on big boats. “We have an exciting programme for the coming year, which is now over 90 per cent in place. A few changes may still occur. The final programme will be presented at the watersport exhibition, the boot in Düsseldorf on 22 January,” says Jens Kath. .
Firmly established in the program of the most beautiful regatta week in the world are also the J/22 and O dinghies. For the J/22 it has become a tradition to place a championship in Travemünde, while the O-dinghies push their otherwise regular ranking regatta up to the European Championship.
A comeback before Travemünde celebrates the dragons, who come after some years of absence now immediately with their International German Championship to Lübeck. The majestic boats with their classic lines are always an eye-catcher in the Baltic Sea wave.
With the regattas for Finn Dinghy, Hobie 16, Keelhaul, Corsair and Trias, mainly sailors from Germany are addressed. On the other hand, the international calendar includes the regatta of 12-foot dinghies. As a station of the George Cockshott Trophy, Lübeck joins the illustrious circle of organizers from Monaco or Portofino. Most recently, Travemünde was part of the Trophy in 2019.
Very young participants of the Travemünder Woche are the Kite-Foilers, the flying water sportsmen under the kite parachute. In 2022, the German champions in the Olympic discipline Formula Kite were determined here. The participants were so enthusiastic that they now want to take part again – this time with their German championship.
Thus, the Travemünder Woche once again lives up to its high standards, proves to be a perfect championship venue and spans the entire spectrum of sailing on the nine regatta days – from traditional dinghies to the most modern developments of water sports, from individual to team sports, from the ambitious Olympic aspirants on speedy skiffs to the experienced salt humpers on the seagoing yachts. “We have an exciting program for the coming year, which is now over 90 percent in place. A few changes may still occur. The final program will be presented at the TW reception for boot in Düsseldorf on January 22,” says Jens Kath.
