The first winners of Travemünde Week have been decided: Hendrik Decker and his crew on the Cedo Nulli claimed victory in the long-distance race around Fehmarn. They certainly had to work hard for it; after 17 hours, 34 minutes, and 58 seconds at sea—and covering over 90 nautical miles—they crossed the finish line near the Passat on Saturday morning.
While they weren’t the first to physically cross the line, they took first place in the corrected-time rankings ahead of the double-handed Grace (sailed by Andreas and Birthe Grasteit) and the Bona Tempora (sailed by Hinrich Klatt and crew)—all of whom represent the host club, Lübecker Yacht-Club. “It was fascinating. On the way out to Fehmarn, we had a fantastic view featuring heat lightning, thunderstorms, and the sunset. We didn’t share the concerns regarding the restricted area in the Fehmarn Belt; everything was well marked. The return leg via Wismar was exciting, with winds reaching 25 knots and plenty of pressure on the boat. But it was a great regatta, and we’ll try to attract more participants in the future,” reported Hinrich Klatt.
Two other crews could also celebrate victory at the start of the offshore sailing events. Johannes Berg from Niendorf, sailing the Jinx, completed the course in 17 hours, 23 minutes, and 20 seconds, making his the fastest yacht on the official route.
Andi Lochbrunner, the former president of the German Sailing Federation, had arrived 30 minutes earlier; he hadn’t wanted to miss the overnight regatta to Fehmarn. The skipper from Lake Constance keeps a yacht in Kiel and sailed his Resolute to Travemünde—primarily to attend the boot Düsseldorf reception aboard the Passat on Saturday evening. “But going to a sailors’ party without having sailed—that just wouldn’t do,” said Lochbrunner. He therefore encouraged his crew to take part in the regatta around Fehmarn. However, the Resolute team did not complete the full circumnavigation; with the XP44’s mast height of 20 meters, the skipper considered it too risky to sail under the Fehmarn Sound Bridge at night. “Construction work means there is scaffolding hanging beneath the bridge, which limits the clearance for passing through,” said Lochbrunner. Consequently, he sailed a course that was equal in length to the rest of the fleet but followed a different route, competing unofficially. Even sailing outside the official competition, the Resolute crossed the finish line half an hour ahead of the rest of the field.
After the boats had finished and he had consulted with the teams, Race Officer Jan Fischer reported conditions that were certainly sailable but demanding—conditions that caused the fleet to shrink both before and after the start. “Twenty-two boats registered, 17 started, and 11 ultimately completed the race.”
For some crews sailing with limited personnel, however, the challenge proved too great. Among them were Dirk and Jenny Meiburg with their boat, Feinschliff. “It was my first time racing double-handed with my wife. Just before reaching Fehmarn, we checked the weather again and decided, ‘This isn’t for us.’ So we abandoned the race,” said the sailor from the Segler-Verein Trave club. Jonas Franke, a fellow club member, also returned early to the harbor at Priwall with the crew of the Aquilon. “We cut the race short and didn’t sail on toward Wismar. The waves were rough, and too many of us were struggling with seasickness. Continuing wasn’t an option,” the skipper said.
Saturday proved to be a grueling day for the other classes as well. Although the entry list for the Finn Dinghies featured a fleet of over 40 boats, only 22 athletes managed to score points in the day’s single race by the time the day concluded. The other registered competitors had either chosen to stay ashore from the start or to abandon the race.
However, one sailor from Berlin lost his bearings; instead of sailing toward Mövenstein, he headed toward Neustadt, subsequently capsized in the open Baltic Sea, and was consequently out of contact with race officials for a long time. When he finally managed to get back on the right course, tempers quickly cooled, as a large-scale search operation involving Travemünde Week resources had already been launched.
The race was won by André Budzien from Schwerin, who has previously secured various national and international titles in the Finn and OK Dinghy classes.
The H-Boats and J/22s sailed the course twice. Wolf Jeschonnek from Berlin has taken the lead in the J-Boat German Open. The leader in the H-Boat class, Holger Köhne, also hails from the German capital.
The Hobie 16 catamarans faced the busiest schedule, completing three races on the “Media Course.” Beneath the steep cliffs of the Brodtener Ufer, the wind fluctuated between eight and 25 knots and shifted violently. Maurice Schwarz and Roman Kühler from Bocholt mastered these conditions impressively, taking first place ahead of German runners-up Ulf Hahn and Katrin Wiese-Dohse.
