Around Bornholm: Skendata-Illbruck is the first ship home of the long-haul ferry
The first yacht arrived on the shortened Round Bornholm route shortly after 2:00 a.m. this morning. The Skendata-Illbruck is officially the First Ship Home of the long-distance leg of the 88th. Warnemünder Woche.
The traditional handover of the crate of beer from the Hanseatic Brewery Rostock took place immediately after the finish, right there on the water. "With 30 knots of wind, it was a tricky undertaking," race director Dirk Jahnke described the handover. "The gesture with the crate of beer is awesome, of course. At two in the morning in terrible weather. Totally awesome," praised Illbruck skipper Oliver Schmidt-Rybandt, commending his crew's immediate refreshment.
He continued, explaining that they sailed very cautiously on the first downwind leg. Out of concern for the predicted gusts, they decided to ease off the power a bit. "So, slightly underpowered, in order to then sail through the gusts with full power!" he described.
Nevertheless, the former ocean racer sped through the Baltic Sea at speeds of up to 18,5 knots. At 6:25 p.m., they rounded the buoy north of Rügen and began the long upwind leg back to Warnemünde. "The upwind leg was really bumpy. It was tough sailing for us because the boat was practically bucking. And with the constant rain, it was really exhausting."
But the Skendata-Illbruck didn't slow down in the waves. With the small jib and no reef in the mainsail, the crew sailed back to Warnemünde through the night. "Of course, we had the mainsail trimmed flat, but the traveler wasn't even to leeward, and the boat just kept going," said Schmidt-Rybandt. Now they'll try to dry themselves and the boat somehow. "Everything here is really wet!"
By midday, most of the fleet that had set sail was already back in port. The remaining ships were expected to arrive by early afternoon.
The final results of the Round Bornholm and the Wiro XXL Cup are expected to be available on Tuesday evening.
