Calm before an exciting second half
There was something in the air on Wednesday of Warnemünder Woche: The German Weather Service had warned of possible thunderstorms in the regatta areas in the morning. The particular problem: Where thunderstorms could form was difficult to predict, and the weather situation posed the risk that local storm cells could build up very quickly.
There was something in the air on Wednesday of Warnemünder Woche: The German Weather Service had warned of possible thunderstorms in the regatta areas in the morning. The particular problem: Where thunderstorms could form was difficult to predict, and the weather situation posed the risk that local storm cells could build up very quickly.
The decision of the top race committee with the representatives of the Zoom8 class was therefore quick and unanimous: cancellation of the races for this day! The young sailors who were Warnemünder Woche sailing for the World Championship title should not be exposed to any danger.
Therefore, there were no regular races on the dinghy courses that day. Without any sailing, the Warnemünder Woche but not enough. During the course of the day, six J/70 yachts set off from the Hohe Düne marina for a small regatta organized by the Warnemünde Naval Base Command. The crews were made up of guests of the base commander. They had done a short training session on Tuesday and were now showing off their skills in the regatta.
"Unfortunately, the wind dropped a little at times, so we had to shorten the course," said chief race officer Peter Ramcke, who was responsible for organizing the water. "The crews were very different, some were experienced sailors, some were newcomers. But everyone did their job very well."
Ralf Bergel, Chairman of the Warnemünder Woche, offered. "It is a thank you to the naval base command for the support that it gives us every year," said Bergel. For the sailing unit, he had chartered the boats of the sailing league, which took place on the first weekend of the Warnemünder Woche with the Sailing Champions League and is now back at the start on the second weekend with the First and Second Sailing Bundesliga.
The second half of the Warnemünder Woche but offers even more highlights. On Thursday, 34 crews will start in the 29er European Cup. The sailors in the junior skiff class have just finished the European Championship in Poland and are now making their next stop in Warnemünde before moving on to the World Championship in Denmark.
Starting tomorrow, the Contenders will also be competing for the title of International German Champion. In addition to the German stars around the 2019 World Champion, Max Billerbeck, participants from Denmark and the Netherlands are also represented. And they are likely to have a significant say in the awarding of the title. The Dane Jesper Armbrust is the reigning European Champion and current Kiel Week winner, and with Pim van Vugt from the Netherlands, a true all-rounder is at the start. He is a national champion in various classes, former world champion in the RS500 and Olympic participant in the 49er in 2021.
Exciting races are therefore scheduled until the final Sunday, as other world-class competitors are also taking part in the ranking regattas in the Korsar, Flying Dutchman, OK-Jolle and Finn-Dinghy. And with the Gedser Race on Saturday, the offshore sailors will conclude their three-part series for the Warnemünde Week and the WIRO-XXL Cup.
