Hofmann/Brockerhoff win the European Cup

The series of perfect sailing days for Warnemünder Woche The race continues on the third day – or almost. With a tight schedule on the four courses, the three Ilca classes, the OK dinghies, and the 505s were sent out. Only the silver fleet of Ilca6s was somewhat weaker, managing only one race in the falling wind.

The fast 505s, on the other hand, even completed three races and subsequently crowned their 2025 Warnemünde Week winners. Jan-Philipp Hofmann/Felix Brockerhoff from Düsseldorf celebrated their third consecutive annual victory in the European Cup.

Tomorrow there will be the European Cup medals for the Ilcas, who were shaken up again in some of the results on Monday, while the picture at the top of the OK Dinghy European Championship is slowly taking shape - with Briton Charlie Cumbley in the lead.

With a win, a second place, and a fourth place at the end of the regatta, the 505-dominant pair Hofmann/Brockerhoff suffered minor blemishes on their previously spotless record. However, this did not change their dominant overall victory. "We didn't quite find our speed today," reported helmsman Jan-Philipp Brockerhoff.

But that didn't dampen their joy: "It was a fantastic regatta. We delivered a top performance. But the race management and everything else was perfect here, too," said the helmsman, who was very pleased to add the Warnemünde Week victory to the European Cup winning streak following the top placings in France and Italy.

Crewman Felix Brockerhoff described the duo's recipe for success as follows: "Communication is very important. We talk quite a bit during the race, about how he's steering and what I think we need to do. Technique and tactics are constant topics for us." With this attitude and their successes behind them, they are confidently heading toward the European Championships in Spain in October.

The overall runners-up, Tim and Finn Böger from Hamburg, were delighted to celebrate a daily victory at the end of the seven races. Lutz Stengel and Frank Feller from Rostock climbed to bronze on their home turf.

André Budzien from Schwerin returned to shore in good spirits. The three-time OK Dinghy World Champion recorded a daily win and a fourth-place finish on the second day of the European Championships. "I guess you could call that a close-up," Budzien commented on his victory in the first race of the day. "I had a great start and was able to score well on my side. I was already in first place at the first buoy and made it to the finish. The start in the second race was also very good, but then the other side had the advantage. So I was only seventh at the windward buoy, but I managed to work my way up a bit."

Budzien now ranks fifth in the overall standings, with only single-digit results in the field of 109 starters, putting him within striking distance of the absolute leader. Currently, former World and European Champion Charlie Cumbley holds the lead. The Briton has scored three wins in four races so far and leads ahead of Canadian Baabii O Flower and Swede Daniel Björndahl.

Ole Schweckendiek is steadfastly ignoring a persistent cold in the Olympic Ilca7 class. The Kiel native's physical weakness was not noticeable, at least not on the water. With a second place and a race win, he moved up to first place overall, overtaking his teammate Julian Hoffmann at the top. The Allgäu native had to contend with a 14th and a 17th place finish and is now third. Between the two Germans is Frenchman Alexandre Kowalski, who is likely Ole Schweckendiek's only remaining competitor in Tuesday's final.

On the Ilca6 course, the results were shaken up considerably on day three. The Dane Mads Wegener Larsen benefited from the mistakes of the previous top competitors, Levian Büscher (Düsseldorf) and Anna Munch (Denmark). After his victory in the first race, he could even afford a 20th place finish, but still moved into the top position. His closest rivals are Josip Tafra and Petra Marendic of Croatia. Levian Büscher is the best German in fifth place, while Anna Munch, who finished fourth at the World Championships, is in ninth place.

There's also a fresh lead in the Ilca4. In the junior class, no one gets through without a discarded result. Therefore, the most consistency in the series pays off. And Cassandra Jansch from Hamburg currently has that. A second and a 13th place brought her up the field. "Especially in the second race, the wind and waves didn't quite match up. The wind was already very light, but the waves were still holding. That didn't make it easy."

But sailing is in the 14-year-old student's blood, as her mother, Hanne, was already an international-class athlete during her time as a competitive sailor. Born in Rostock, she previously won World and European Championship medals in the Europe and Laser classes. Cassandra isn't fazed by this achievement, though: "I don't even know what she's won. I just want to have fun here. I didn't have a specific goal in mind."

However, with the current ranking, the expectations are growing: "A medal here would be nice – definitely in the U16 age group. I don't have any other big goals this year. But next year I'd like to go to the World Championships, and then we'll see how things go in the Ilca6."

On the final day, a lot is still possible in the Ilca4, as Kaya Üner (Türkiye) and Wesse Brink (Netherlands) are following the leading German just a few points behind.

In the long-distance regatta around Bornholm, the leading yachts reached the northern tip of Rügen in the early evening and are expected back during the course of Tuesday.