On the second full day of the 136th Travemünde Week regatta, the Bay of Lübeck once again presented ideal conditions for the seven competing classes. However, winds of 15 to 20 knots and rough seas also took their toll. There were some capsizes, seasickness and retirements on the sea course. On the other courses for open keelboats, dinghies and catamarans, not all crews made it through the demanding day.
The crew of the ‘patent 4’ were delighted with the perfect sailing conditions on day two of Travemünde Week. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
In the evening, the next winners of this regatta week were celebrated. The crew of the ‘patent 4’ led by helmsman Henning Tebbe celebrated their victory in the up-and-down races on the sea course. Ulf Hahn/Katrin Wiese-Dohse dominated the Hobie 16 competition in impressive style with seven wins in eight races.
In the challenging sailing conditions, Seebahn race director Jens Hahlbrock had to deal with a dwindling field. Although eight crews had registered for the start of the up-and-down courses, only five teams reached the finish line of the first race. And in race two, there were only three teams left. This was reason enough for Hahlbrock to call it a day, as helpers on the support boats were also complaining of queasy feelings.
The crews that headed back to port early included the winners of the long-distance race. Sweden’s Lena Having and Eivind Böymo-Malm are sailing off Travemünde as a two-person team on the ‘Mrs Freckles’. The conditions on the manoeuvre-intensive short races were too tough for them. When the wind picked up to 20 knots, the buoy manoeuvres became too tight for them, as they were unable to keep up with their competitors with a full crew.
The sailors enjoyed perfect weather on the second day of Travemünde Week. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
There was also damage to the upper shrouds of the Fru Hansen, forcing Frank Haßler (Heiligenhafen) to abandon the race. However, the ‘Patent 4’ crew, led by helmsman Henning Tebbe, were delighted with the day, describing it as having ‘perfect wind and glorious weather’. They used the up-and-down races to become more familiar with the yacht’s new setup. This season, the ‘Patent 4’ has been converted from a spinnaker to a gennaker, and now sails with seven crew members instead of eight. ‘It was a good opportunity to refine the handling.’ The yacht is now much more agile. This really comes into its own in medium-distance races,’ said Tebbe. These races are scheduled for next weekend. The ‘Patent 4’ will then start with a clear recommendation for victory in the up-and-down races. As in the long-distance race, second place went to Hinrich Klatt with the ‘Bona Tempora’, ahead of Frank Michel’s ‘Fiefdeeler’ (Travemünde).
Ulf Hahn and Katrin Wiese-Dohse were the ones to beat in the Hobie 16 class at the TW. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
The satisfaction of the Seebahn winners was also reflected in the Hobie 16 class. Ulf Hahn and Katrin Wiese-Dohse (Kellenhusen) only had to settle for second place behind record European champions Detlef Mohr/Karen Wichardt in the first race. After that, they were number one and celebrated a clear overall victory ahead of their club mates Mohr/Wichardt and the young team from Surendorf, Lukas Riepe/Wiebke Finkemeyer. ‘The conditions were great on both days. And it was perfect for us,’ said Hahn, who was particularly pleased that the Hobies were given their own course on day two after spending the first day in a large pack with other classes. ‘The race committee did a great job today. Now our focus is on the European Championships in Poland. That will be the highlight of the season. Travemünde was good preparation for that.’ Hahn did not want to reveal too much about his ambitions for the European Championships, but ‘a top five finish’ would be nice.
Three classes laid the foundation for their TW finale tomorrow, Monday, on Sunday. And there is already little doubt about the likely winners. Holger Köhne’s Berlin crew is clearly in the lead in the H-boats with five wins in six races, and the German Open title in the J/22 class will probably go to Reiner Brockerhoff (Duisburg), who has won it every year except one.
Dirk Braun and Jürgen Kruck are on course for victory in the Corsair class at Travemünde Week. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
The Dyas’ warm-up for German championship ends on Monday. The two-handed crews will first determine the North German champions before competing for the national title, which starts on Thursday. Arndt Fingerhut and Andreas Malcher from Lake Edersee are contenders for both trophies.
The Corsairs and Finn dinghies have two more days of sailing, and there are also clear favourites here. Dirk Braun and Jürgen Kruck from Wuppertal have won three out of four Corsair races, while Fabian Lemmel from Berlin has achieved the same in the Finn dinghies. Rainer Haacks from Dortmund won the evening show race on the Trave.
The battle for the international titles at this year’s Travemünde Week begins on Monday, so things will get exciting then. The Topcats will start their championships in classes K1, K2 and K3, and they have a long week ahead of them. The winners from the four-nation field will be crowned with gold, silver and bronze on Saturday.
‘Everything’s fine’ for the female rowers from Team Offshoare
The four women from the ‘Offshoare’ rowing team christened their boat today as part of the 136th Travemünde Week for the ‘World’s Toughest Row’ race from the Canary Islands to Antigua (Caribbean).
The ‘Alles Paletti’ was launched at Travemünde Week, attracting a lot of public interest. Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
Jana Golz, Jana Stahl, Clara Düntsch and Christiane Kienl will spend around 40 to 50 days rowing 2,800 nautical miles, during which time the ocean rowing boat will be their means of transport and home. With a bottle of rosé sparkling wine and flowers on the bow, the rowing quartet christened the boat ‘Alles Paletti’. “The name is meant to give us courage, and at the same time it reflects what our time on the Atlantic will be like,” explains Jana Golz from Lübeck. After the christening, some of the crew took a row around the Trave. The starting signal for the Atlantic crossing will be given at the beginning of December off San Sebastián on La Gomera.
Pure joy after the successful christening of the rowing boat for the Atlantic race with Jana Golz, Jana Stahl and Clara Düntsch (from left). Photo: Christian Beeck/TW
