Warnemünder Woche-Chairman Ralf Bergel: taking office in Egypt

“I go there once six weeks before Warnemünder Woche on vacation and on the first day of vacation I get the news that my predecessor Jürgen Missing is leaving. From then on the phone never stopped. I handed my wife the credit card and told her to have a good time. Then I sorted everything out from Egypt. Luckily we only had a week booked,” says Ralf Bergel with a grin.

This is how the Rostock native came to his new voluntary role as WSC organizational leader and chairman while on vacation in Egypt Warnemünder Woche, which he has held since 2019. However, Bergel has been deeply anchored in the organizing team of the sailing event since 2014.

In his position as Chairman, he is responsible for the land-based part of the sailing event. He works closely with the sports director and main race director Warnemünder Woche, Peter Ramcke, together. “Our division of labor is very strict: I am responsible for everything on land and Peter is responsible for everything on the water. The difference: I'm sitting on the money. If Peter Ramcke needs money, he has to ask me. Our collaboration is so intensive during the week that his wife often asks me: 'Has your husband called today?'” Ralf Bergel tells me with a mischievous smile. It is also important to support the volunteer team during the Warnemünder Woche to keep you happy. Finally, the approximately 300 helpers would take extra vacation time to volunteer to support the sailing week.

Bergel himself has been sailing since he was a child, learned to sail in a wooden opti and competed in regattas in the dinghy classes as a youth. Nowadays he only travels as a cruising sailor or takes part in the Wednesday regattas with his boat. He tries to spend around 1.000 nautical miles on the water with his family every year. Fortunately, the labor-intensive task of chairman can be easily combined with his job as a self-employed person in the IT industry. In addition, he works as a harbor master for the state sports association in Warnemünde and has also worked during the Warnemünder Woche A clear view of what is happening in the harbor area.

Ralf Bergel's conclusion Warnemünder Woche is positive: “Everything went well. And we got very good feedback from the Fiven and H-Boat sailors. Then you know that you have done something right. But of course that's only possible with a good team, and I have that. The greatest reward is when the sailors leave at the end of the event and say: 'That was a great number!'” The collaboration with the sponsors and the construction company responsible for building the new sports school in the harbor area would also have worked well .

But as with many events, this also applies to the Warnemünder Woche: After the event is before the event. And with this in mind, preparations for the 85th are underway. Warnemünder Woche has been in full swing for a long time. And during the current event, Ralf Bergel has already successfully pulled the strings for a successful 85th edition of the sailing week in many places. "The Warnemünder Woche 2023 is almost finished, I’m already on to 2024,” said Bergel. However, he cannot reveal any details yet. So it remains exciting. However, one thing is already certain: Ralf Bergel will be the one Warnemünder Woche remain loyal as chairman.