Athletes from 28 nations fight for victory

The 86. Warnemünder Woche (6 to 14 July) will be a global event in the best sense of the word with its 15 regattas as well as the events of the 1st and 2nd Sailing League and the Sailing Champions League. Around 800 athletes in around 400 boats have already registered by the beginning of June. More registrations are expected before the first start, so Ralf Bergel, Chairman of the Warnemünder Woche of 900 to 1000 active members.

The athletes represent 28 countries from all five continents. The range extends from ambitious youngsters at the World Championships in the Zoom 8 class to the participants in the Olympic Ilca classes to the experienced sailors who tackle the demanding and traditional offshore race around Bornholm.

Ilca classes come with large fleets

Among the regatta highlights of the Warnemünder Woche The Euro Cup of the three Ilca classes is a classic that brings a large number of international sailors to the Mecklenburg coast. The participants come not only from Europe. Entries have also been received from North and South America, Africa and Australia. With 90 entries so far, the Ilca 6 represents the largest fleet in the Warnemünder WocheThe class is Olympic for women, is used for Warnemünder Woche but is offered to both female and male athletes. The mission to defend her title will therefore be a big task for Warnemünde's top sailor Hannah Anderssohn, because among the male competitors there are many who are already preparing to make the jump to the men's Olympic class, the Ilca 7.

With the nominally highest-class championship in the series of Warnemünder Woche The youngest sailors come along. The Zoom 8 is a very popular entry-level class in Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Austria, which will crown its world champions for the first time in Germany off Warnemünde. After the Danish world champion moved to another class this season, the Estonian Karl Veetöusme and the Dane Toke Scheuer Jansen, as the 2023 World Championship medalists, have to shoulder the burden of being the boys' favorites. Among the girls, the Estonian Mia Maria Lipsmae, who came third last year, is the only World Championship medalist in 2023 and is therefore a strong bet for gold.

Zoom 8 determine their world champions

The other classes are also not skimping on the highest quality in the field of participants. At the Euro Cup for the 505s, the assembled German elite will have to deal with the hunters from Poland, Denmark and Sweden. Lutz Stengel/Frank Feller are in the spotlight at their home appearance - and not only because they want to defend the Warnemünde Week title from 2023. Lutz Stengel has already been able to put the World Champion trophy (2018) in his cabinet during his career.

Six nations have registered for the premiere of the 29er Euro Cup off Warnemünde - including Hong Kong and Australia. From a German perspective, the hopes lie with Hanno Rix/Maxi Reuner from Kiel, who just finished second in the Euro Cup in Aarhus.

High-class field of contenders

Intense German-Danish duels are programmed at the International German Contender Championship. Max Billerbeck, the German world champion from 2019, will face the multiple European champion Jesper Armbrust from Denmark. And the Dane knows how to put himself in the spotlight on German terrain. In 2021, he won the Warnemünder Woche the European title ahead of Max Billerbeck, in 2022 he won the International German Championship on Lake Schwerin – also ahead of Max Billerbeck. In 2023, however, the German was again at the top of the podium at the German Championship. In second place: Jesper Armbrust. The Warnemünder Woche promises another exciting title race in the fast-paced class with over 40 active participants.

But even without the awarding of titles and championship medals, the other classes have the highest level to offer. Kay-Uwe Lüdtke/Kai Schäfers are the clear favorites in the former Olympic Flying Dutchman class. The duo from Berlin and Hanover just won their second world championship title in the USA. In the Corsairs, the German regular champions Uti and Frank Thieme are the first contenders for the Warnemünde Week victory. The Berlin couple are currently at the top of the Corsairs rankings.

There is a lot of prestige at stake on the sea railway

With a strong field of OK dinghies, bringing participants from six nations, as well as the Finn Dinghy and Bénéteau First 28 SE classes, the program of the Warnemünder Woche rounded off on the tracks off the coast.

For seagoing yachts, there is a three-part offer with the Mecklenburg Seaside Regatta, the Gedser Race and, of course, Round Bornholm. In recent years, the race around the Danish Baltic Sea island in particular has always required the best seamanship from the crews on the 250 nautical miles with changing weather conditions. It is one of the most prestigious regattas in the series of competitions of the 86th World Championship. Warnemünder Woche.