Over 30 knots: O'pen skiffs stay ashore, shortened round trip around Bornholm ends successfully
Several races were originally planned for the two O'pen Skiff classes today, but the weather conditions thwarted the children's plans. The O'pen Skiff race committee, led by Svenja Herziger, wanted to offer the sailors at least one option. After a hastily arranged meeting with the coaches, the plan was to try at least one race.
“We then went out with the starting vessel and the inflatable boats, but measured an average wind of over 25 knots on the course, which gusted up to over 30 knots. Under those conditions it was simply not sailable,” Svenja Herziger describes the situation on the water, which ultimately led to the cancellation of all races for today.
Around Bornholm
As the first gusts of wind and heavy showers swept across the central pier, all remaining participants crossed the finish line. Six crews abandoned the race during the course of the day.
In the Yardstick rating, Skendata-Illbruck sailed to first place with a corrected time of 20 hours, 15 minutes and 28 seconds. OSPA followed closely with a corrected time of 20 hours, 21 minutes and 47 seconds.
Both boats covered the 120 nautical miles in less than 13 hours, based on sailing time. They finished just under four minutes apart.
“Cruising around Bornholm in its entirety would have been really cool from a sailing perspective, of course. But we were honestly relieved that it was shortened. When we sailed into the finish at 2:00 a.m., we were pretty exhausted,” says skipper Schmidt-Rybandt of the Skendata-Illbruck, looking back on the shortened circumnavigation of Bornholm.
In the ORC class, Hauke Sponholz on Universitas is in first place with a time of 17 hours, 46 minutes, and 51 seconds, ahead of Jens Kuphal on Exciter with 17 hours, 53 minutes, and six seconds – both times based on corrected time. Both boats sailed for approximately 15 hours and 40 minutes (Universitas) and 15 hours and 55 minutes, respectively.
In the ORC Club, Jan Laschinsky with Vaiana prevailed over Markus Linde with Ocean Calling.
Outlook for Wednesday
IDM Kielzugvogel
The Kielzugvogel class will begin their International German Championship on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. Twenty-five crews will compete for the title until Saturday, July 11, 2026.
A highly competitive class is expected, where clean starts, good boat handling, and tactical finesse will determine the final standings. The owners know their boats perfectly and have developed a keen sense for them over the years.
The Kielzugvogel was originally designed by Ernst Lehfeld as a two-person boat. It is closely related to the Schwertzugvogel (sword-rigged dinghy). While the former is sailed with a centerboard, the Kielzugvogel has a ballast keel – and thus a bit more calmness and stability. This makes it particularly suitable for the racecourse off Warnemünde.
Zoom8
Opening ceremony of the Zoom8 Boys and Girls Championships. Photo: Pepe Hartmann
The Zoom8 class will also be very international starting Wednesday. 21 participants from Denmark, Austria, Sweden, and Estonia will be competing. Warnemünder Woche We will continue to follow the event until the final day on Sunday. The young sailors will be competing in their Boys and Girls Championships.
The small single-handed dinghy was developed in Finland in the early 1990s. It was designed to make it easier for young sailors to transition to more competitive classes – without overwhelming them with too much boat.
The opening ceremony of the Zoom8 Boys and Girls Championships took place on Tuesday evening in the locomotive shed.
