In the most beautiful sunshine with a light breeze blowing up the Trave, the patron of Travemünde Week, Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Finance Monika Heinold, opened the 135th edition of the regatta and festival week together with Joanna Hagen, Lübeck’s deputy mayor. At 6 p.m. on 19 July, Joanna Hagen, who was standing in for Mayor Jan Lindenau who was ill, was able to give the signal “Hoist the flag”. Prior to this, representatives from the city and state, the main organiser Lübeck Yacht Club and TW partner boot Düsseldorf had provided insights into the event.
Joanna Hagen was pleased about the great weather conditions with which the Travemünde Week can start this year. This means that the special characteristics of Lübeck’s fifth season will be even better emphasised: summer, sun, beach and sea provide the setting for top-class sailing. The carefree joie de vivre on the festival site can really unfold. And in recent years, culture has also become increasingly important. The Classical Beat concert series, the Urban Art Festival and the opening of the harbour panorama gallery are now part of Travemünde Week, reported Joanna Hagen.Finance Minister Monika Heinold emphasised the successful combination of tradition and innovation at the Travemünde Week.
While the origins of the regatta 135 years ago are honoured with the organisation of the Volksbank Rotspon Cup, the regatta schedule for the championships is geared towards traditional but also ultra-modern classes. And with the breadth of its programme, TW demonstrates its cosmopolitanism: “We like to look at the region these days. It is the great sport that meets here, it is the young athletes, it is the hospitality that is radiated here in the region, and it is also made clear again and again: it is cosmopolitan here. Guests from all over the world are welcome here. Sailing knows no borders. It’s great how it’s lived here. And that’s why Schleswig-Holstein is looking forward to Travemünde Week these days,” said Monika Heinold.
People from Düsseldorf also look forward to Travemünde. boot Düsseldorf, the world’s largest water sports exhibition, has been a partner of the regatta week for 50 years now. “The partnership with Travemünde Week was boot’s first involvement in a sailing regatta,” reported Petros Michelidakis, Director of boot. For him, sailing is the soul of water sports. That’s why boot is also involved in the area of young talent and is delighted to provide media support for the Atlantic voyage of the “Meu”, the LYC club ship. The close connection between boot and Lübeck will become clear again in just a few weeks’ time. Then boot Düsseldorf will be showing its new brand campaign at the Passat, just two days after it was presented for the first time in Düsseldorf.
Finally, after the young Opti sailors Moritz Thiel and Karolina Schlaefer had taken the sporting oath on stage on behalf of all 1500 sailors from 27 nations who will be taking part in 20 regattas over the next nine days, Joanna Hagen gave the signal for the flag to be hoisted. With a loud honking from the typhoons on the stage and from the fireboat “Senator Emil Peters”, the celebrations began. Monika Heinold was also able to enjoy the evening. She is stepping down from her post as Finance Minister on 31 July and confessed with high praise for the Travemünde Week: “I’ve been travelling as Finance Minister for the last few days and I’ve said that I only do the nice events where I like to be. And that’s why I’m here.”
Captions from above:
Happy faces at the opening of Travemünde Week (from left): boot director Petros Michelidakis, LYC chairman Lutz Kleinfeldt, Lübeck’s deputy mayor Joanna Hagen, Karolina Schlaefer, TW sports director Jens Kath, Moritz Thiel and SH finance minister Monika Heinold. Photo: segel-bilder.de/Travemünde Week
