Wind surprise off Warnemünde: Exciting day on the water

The morning weather briefing for Saturday sounded rather pessimistic. Due to the high pressure system, the wind was expected to barely exceed seven knots from the north. Because of the rising temperatures, the race committee hoped for at least a sea breeze from developing thermals, but even that was considered rather unlikely. The temperature difference between land and sea was deemed too small to generate a sufficient current. But things would turn out differently.

Bathing Regatta – 100 Years Warnemünder Woche

The course was shortened yesterday afternoon. Instead of sailing to Kühlungsborn and back, the plan was now to circumnavigate a fishing protection area off Nienhagen. Since only light winds were forecast, this seemed to be the only way to complete the long-distance leg in time – and also to prevent the ships from being stranded off the coast. But the wind didn't quite cooperate.

“We only sailed just under half the distance that was originally planned. The weather forecast wasn't quite right today. It predicted decreasing winds, but then they picked up. Given the conditions, we could have sailed the full distance,” said race director Dirk Jahnke.

The first ship home, the Universitas with skipper Justus Müller, sailed back to the finish line less than two hours after the start. Less than half an hour later, the last ship also crossed the finish line. The west-east course held no major surprises, as the wind blew fairly consistently from the north.

"The crews were free to choose how they wanted to bypass the protected area. Nine went counter-clockwise, one clockwise," Jahnke describes the biggest strategic decision of the race.
In the Yardstick rating, Klaus-Dieter Hink won on Saphira after corrected time. Andreas Bloch on Roxy 3.0 secured victory in the ORC rating after corrected time.

J / 70

The winner has been decided: Kai-Uwe Hollweg sailed in the 88th regatta. Warnemünder Woche Sailing for the first time on the waters off Warnemünde, he immediately won the German Championship in the J/70 class. With a total of eight races under his belt, he took the lead on the second day of racing and never relinquished it. His only disappointment was a ninth-place finish in the final race, which was his discard.

“Yes, we were a bit unlucky and had to curl up. We don’t really know ourselves why we conceded the penalty,” Hollweg explains regarding their mid-table finish.

The northerly wind made things difficult for the 15-strong fleet on the final day. In the first race, it blew at seven to eight knots – more than forecast – and in the second, it even picked up to ten knots.
“We had significantly more wind than predicted and also some wind shifts, so we had to adjust the course slightly,” says race director Svenja Herziger.

Mats Schönebeck, who was neck and neck with Hollweg after the first races, secured second place. Till Pomarius and Mika Trosien followed in third and fourth place, tied on points.

"It's a fantastic fishing area given the conditions we've had these past few days. The area itself, combined with the organization, is simply perfect. I'd like to thank everyone involved, and we'll definitely be back!" Hollweg concluded.
Actually, three final races were planned for today, but the third race had to be cancelled due to the regulations. "We got out a bit later today and then had to cancel the planned third race because we weren't allowed to start a new race after 14.00 p.m. and wouldn't have been able to get a start before then," said Herziger.

Hobie 16

The Hobie class had four races scheduled for today. After the weather briefing this morning, race director Raik Wollenbecker still had some concerns about whether the predicted wind would allow the races to start at all.

"The wind turned out to be very good after all. We were already thinking of filing a complaint with the DWD," says Wollenbecker with a wink.

The colorful catamarans quickly got up to speed: “The Hobies have some problems in light winds. We saw that today as well. As soon as we had eight knots, they really picked up speed and we were able to sail four good races.”

After seven races, Dane Nicolaj Bjørnholt and crew Stine Abratis lead the 37-strong international fleet. They are followed by Ingo Delius and Sabine Delius-Wenig in second place, and Dane Calle Hulthin Sørensen and crew Wiebke Finkemeyer in third.

Three races are scheduled for tomorrow. If the wind develops as it did today, all three races should be able to take place.

Kielzugvogel

An hour of patience paid off. The Kielzugvogel fleet waited for better winds on the final day. When some thermal winds finally developed around midday, 21 boats took to the water and sailed two final races in decent conditions.

Alexander Morgenstern secured the International German Championship. Despite being disqualified in the second race for illegal pumping, he sailed confidently at the front and made sure to cross the finish line first in each of the last four races. Three penalty points for an incorrect check-in resulted in a four in the final race, but that was enough to clinch the title.
Frank Schönfeldt, who opened the regatta with a victory in the first race, finished in second place. Axel Fischer completed the podium in third.

corsair

Silja and Jonna Braun continued their dominant performance today. The siblings won all three races and further extended their already comfortable lead. It seems they can't sail anything other than first place off Warnemünde. Even their discard score after eight races is a first place.

The day was anything but easy. The northerly wind brought similar conditions to the neighboring runways – seven to ten knots – but one accompanying phenomenon caused the sisters problems today.

"Then a short, choppy swell built up. It was quite challenging for us on the upwind leg to avoid getting stuck," Braun described the conditions. The final leg dragged on a bit with the wind dying down, but: "The result is good!"

That sailing was even possible was not a given, because this morning it looked as if the wind limit of five knots for the start could not be reached.

“We were actually surprised that it went out. We were even towed out,” said Braun, who was then pleased with the good wind on the track. Behind the leaders, the order remains stable: Beate Wahrendorf-Kruck is in second place, Alexander Biskupek in third.

The Corsairs sail their final day tomorrow. The decision at the top should already be made. Or perhaps not? Silja Braun smiles mischievously. She admits she got a bit mixed up with the schedule and thought the regatta ended on Saturday. She has other commitments for Sunday. "But that also spurred us on to sail as well as possible in these last few days!" says her sister Jonna.

It could be enough for the two sailors if their closest pursuers, Beate Wahrendorf-Kruck and crewwoman Ute Rogers, do not win both races tomorrow.

OK

Yesterday, an additional race was sailed as a precaution, so today it was decided to hold only two races instead of the originally planned three.

André Budzien remains in the lead – but the day belonged to others. Sebastian Schmidt-Klügmann and Mathias Rieck each secured a stage win, demonstrating that the field is closer together than the overall standings suggest.

Budzien finished the day with a fourth and a second place, thus maintaining his overall lead. Cord Prignitz follows behind him. Sebastian Schmidt-Klügmann and Vincent Schrader are tied for third and fourth place.

Light winds of around ten knots and short, choppy waves characterized the day. Five races have been completed in the class, with two more scheduled for tomorrow.

“We had some trouble with the wind. At some point, a large rightward shift occurred due to thermals, which weren't actually supposed to develop. We had to change the course several times, and the buoy layers must have been working up quite a sweat,” says Malte Rackow.

Beneteau First 18

Tom Bernstein has firmly established himself in the lead today. Behind him is Walter Wüllenweber, who dominated the regatta with two wins in the first races and now sits in second place. Bernstein is mathematically uncatchable. The Greifswald native can enjoy the only remaining race tomorrow.
The conditions on the water were similar to those on the other courses: light winds of around ten knots from the north and a short, choppy wave, which the First 18 handled well.