Kieler Woche 2015 - Preview
by Hermann Hell 16 Jun 2015 20:04 BST
20-28 June 2015
Roger Oswald at Kieler Woche 2013 © okpress / Kieler Woche
Sailing focus on the water and ashore
Kieler Woche.TV and live analysis - 12mR, Audi and SAP Speed Challenge, Pre-Worlds and numerous celebrities
The 133rd edition of the Kieler Woche (20-28 June) will again deliver a unique spectacle of the sailing sport on the water and ashore. Every year Kieler Woche turns out to be a meeting point for active sailors, well-known sailors, the officials as well as notable businessmen and politicians. But the rush to Schilksee for the Kieler Woche 2015 will probably reach new dimensions. It will not be about the opening ceremony in front of the City Hall, where Federal Presidents and the Chancellor already did show up as guests. No, it is about the sailing location, the sailing regattas, the maritime flair on land and the Olympic site in Schilksee. Together with the deputy head of organisation of the Kieler Woche regattas Jobst Richter and German top sailors, the chairman of the Kieler Yacht Club, Dr. Carsten Krage, was whetting the appetite for the Kieler Woche at the press conference at the Kiel Yacht Club - just 4 days before the start of the event.
Kiel's application for the Olympics in 2024 as Hamburg's partner results in a lot of support from politics, economy and sports. Dr. Michael Vesper, Chairman of the DOSB executive committee, Hamburg's First Mayor Olaf Scholz, Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Torsten Albig, Hamburg's Senator of the sports sector Michael Neumann and Schleswig-Holstein's Minister for Sports Stefan Studt meet representatives of the European Sailing Association and the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the double America' s Cup winner Jochen Schuemann, the MOD 70 sailor Pierre Casiraghi, son of princess Caroline of Monaco, as well as circumnavigator Boris Hermann, Andi Lochbrunner, the President of the German Sailing Association, and the Sailing Team Germany (STG). Kiel 2015 will definitely be the time, when sailing politics are decided and when the Kieler Woche will support the application for the Olympics of Hamburg/Kiel.
Following the Maior regatta (1-3 May), the Young Europeans Sailing (23. until 25. May) and the 2nd match day of the German national sailing league "Segel-Bundesliga" (5. until 7. June), the program on the Kiel Fjord will continue with the World Championships of the J/80s (4. until 10. July) and the F18s (11. until 18. July) until the GC32 event (30. July until 2. August). For three complete months the focus will be completely on the high-end sailing sport. And the highlight will be once again - since 133 years - the Kieler Woche in the last week of June (20. until 28. June). With the appearance of the Audi Sailing Team Germany and the ISAF qualifiers for the Worlds in the junior dinghy 420, the MOD70 showing up and also the smallest Laser 4.7, the battle of the historical America's Cup 12mR class and the Audi and SAP Speed Challenge between kiters, surfers and foiling cats, Paralympic medalists and the tall ship parade - Kiel once again offers the whole variety of the sailing sport. With unique media work (Audi and SAP Sailing Arena, Kieler Woche.TV), extensive know-how on the water and services offered on land, Kiel will demonstrate its competence and promote itself to host the Olympic sailing competitions.
With a view to the application for the Olympics, the focus is on sustainability and planning goes further than the regattas from 20. until 28 June. Next year the Olympic classes will sail again in the second par of the event. "So there will be only Medal Races on the last Sunday of the event, a real arc of suspense", says the deputy head of organisation Jobst Richter at the Kiel Yacht Club. In parallel with the Olympic and Paralympic classes, the 420s will sail in the second part of the Kieler Woche starting with the races on Wednesday. So starting in 2016, Kiel offers the ISAF standard (Wednesday until Sunday) and thus achieves a better distribution of active sailors and the sailors and coaches have more time to travel to Kiel from the ISAF SWC location Weymouth.
And with the one design keel boat classes being distributed between the first and second part of the event, waiting times at the crane are reduced and trailer shortage prevented. Even if it is still more than one year to go, plans were already made. With the arc of suspense and the mixture on the race courses, the organisers of the Kieler Woche are adjusting to the new circumstances and fulfill the sailors' wishes. "We organise the Kieler Woche for the active sailors and we want to offer them ideal conditions on the water and ashore if possible", states Nikolaus Rockers, Managing Director of the Kieler Woche marketing agency Point of Sailing.
Olympic and Paralympic classes
Eight Olympic classes (except for the surfers) as well as the Paralympic class 2.4mR will be at the Kieler Woche start line. The bigger part of the national German sailing team, the Audi Sailing Team Germany, will be starting in Kiel. In the second part of the Kieler Woche, 16 international classes will be competing on eight triangular courses with huge fleets especially in the junior classes (29er and 420). Six one design, four ORC Int. and four ORC Club classes as well as one multihull class will be completing the Kieler Woche fleets - with the worldwide exceptional number of 40 classes on ten race courses in total. Overall there will be around 4,000 active sailors from over 50 nations at the Kieler Woche.
The Kieler Woche is again part of the five-part EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup (ECSC), which will finish with the Semaine Olympique Française in La Rochelle (France) from 5. until 10. October and has its second to last stop in Kiel. The ECSC already experienced a successful prelude on Mallorca.
Even if the attention of the national German sailing team is drawn to this year's World and European Championships as well as the qualifiers for the Olympics, the Kieler Woche as their home territory will of course be on the racing schedule of the Audi Sailing Team Germany. Especially the skiff sailors did make their way up into the top ranking. Next to Erik Heil/Thomas Ploessel (European Champion 2014) in the 49er, there are also Justus Schmidt/Max Boehme (who became eighth in Palma and sixth in Hyères) at the top of the fleet. The new generation of young sailors from the Kiel Yacht Club pushes forward. So in Kiel exciting competition among friends is expected. But the strongest competitors are from Denmark. With Jonas Warrer/Martin Kirketerp the Olympic gold medalists from 2008 are at the start. In Qingdao (China) the Danish did push the Peckholt brothers back onto rank three. So the winner of the previous year and the Olympic winner will meet for the summit in Kiel. "It is just a lot of fun to win in Kiel. Kiel is the pleasure, after that comes the work", Erik Heil sums it up.
In the 49FX, there are even four crews with chances for a ticket to Rio. The crews Tina Lutz/Susann Beucke (Munich/Kiel), Victoria Jurczok/Anika Lorenz (Berlin), Leonie Meyer/Elena Stoffers (Osnabrueck/Kiel) and the twins Jule and Lotta Goerge from Kiel are in the top ten at the big events again and again.
But the starting teams in the Olympic classes this year are not just fighting to win the Kieler Woche. The prize money will be 3,000 Euro for rank one, 2,000 Euro for rank two and 1,000 Euro for rank three - another stimulus for the top sailors to come to Kiel. For the Kieler Woche 2015, this means a maximum sum of 54,000 Euro.
International part: F18 Pre-Worlds
In the F18, the following World Championship is shaping the class. From 11. until 18 July, 200 catamarans from 24 nations will be fighting for the title at the World Championship in Kiel. 55 crews from Germany are registered. "It is Kiel's appealing image - based on the reputation of the Kieler Woche. And the location for Kiel is perfect for Scandinavian sailors", said the German head of the class Jens Uwe Tonne from Flensburg. As the Pre-Worlds, the Kieler Woche offers an ideal opportunity to sail in racing conditions on the sailing territory of the Worlds - two weeks before the major event.
Offshore courses: J-Festival, 12mR, Farr 30 and blue blood
For the J/80s it is also a perfect preparation as a Pre-Worlds event, as the World Championship for them will also take place in Kiel short after the Kieler Woche, For the fights for the title from 4. until 10. July a similar sized fleet as at the Worlds 2008 is expected. Seven years ago, there were 65 participants, now 50 to 70 starters are expected at the Worlds.
The J/70, which is 1.07 metres shorter and is on the upswing in Germany due to the national Sailing League format, will be sailing the German Open at the Kieler Woche. The J/70 will be sailing the Kiel Cup Foxtrott just like the J/80 from Saturday until Tuesday. Already more than 30 yachts have registered. "The class booms", international head of the J/70 class Juergen Waldheim is pleased. The citizen of Berlin explains the success with a good concept, good quality and great sailing characteristics, with lasting value and affordable. The market was waiting for a one design boat class like that. Almost 100 boats were already sold in Germany. And the development in Germany is not unique. Internationally, the progress is even more rapid", says Waldheim. 1,000 boats were delivered worldwide and huge regatta fleets were developed in the USA, South America, England, France, Monaco and Italy. 86 participants did show up for the first J/70 Worlds, and for this years World Championship, 75 crews are already registered. Waldheim and Kiel are trying to get these numbers also for the Europeans in 2016, which will be part of the Kieler Woche.
A special highlight of this year's Kieler Woche might be the 12mR fleet on the inner fjord. The former America's Cup class is not just showing up for the rendezvous of the classic yachts on Saturday in Kiel, but also will be racing on Sunday and Monday in the inner fjord of Kiel. The originally Olympic class (1912-1920) was the America's Cup class between 1958 and 1987. „Sphinx “, „Trivia “, „Evaine “ and "Vim" are names of 12mR classic yachts, that will make a sailor's heart skip a beat.
The 12mR races in Kiel are the start for the Baltic Series 2015, which also includes the European Championship at the beginning of July in Flensburg as well as the German Classics at the end of August in Laboe.
Altogether there will be 15 participants in the 12mR class for the Baltic Series, from which ten will also start in Kiel - based on current information.
"The races are taking place in the inner fjord, so spectators can watch them. And if the weather conditions allow, the starts and some mark roundings will be recorded by drones and presented live on Youtube", says the organiser of the Baltic Series and owner of "Trivia" Wilfried Beeck. Due to the extension from one to three racing days in Kiel, the travel time is more worth it even for 12mR yachts from England, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
And the Kieler Woche 2015 even becomes noble: Pierre Casiraghi, the son of princess Caroline from the Principality of Monaco, will be on board of the MOD70 trimaran "Musandam-Oman Sail“ for the Welcome Race of the biggest sailing event in the world. Skipper Sidney Gavignet did manage to get the excellent helmsman on board as well as circumnavigator Boris Herrmann from Hamburg as navigator and Oman's best offshore sailor Mohsin Al Busaidi. Together they are planning to beat their own record time, which they set with the flagship from the sultanate in the previous year.
This year's Kiel Cup Alpha on the offshore courses will be enriched by the Farr 30 class. Ten yachts from Germany and Sweden are expected to show up in Kiel for the second part of the European Circuit. The favourite of course is the reigning World Champion Harald Bruening with his boat "Topas".
Schedule
Olympic part, EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup: (20-24 June)
Charly: 470 M+W, Finn M
Echo: Laser Std. M, Laser Rad. W
Golf: 2.4mR (open), Sonar (open)
Hotel: 49er M
Juliett: Nacra 17 Mix, 49erFX W
International part: (25-28 June)
Charlie: 505, FD
Echo: 420
Foxtrott: J/24, Folkboat, H-boat
Golf: Musto Performance Skiff, RS 800
Hotel: 29er
India: Contender, OK dinghy
Juliett: Europe, Laser Radial (open), Laser 4.7
Kilo: Formula 18, Hobie 16, A-Cat
Offshore courses: (20-27 June)
20. - 21. June: Welcome Race (ORC Club I-IV, Albin Ballad, Multihull)
20. - 23. June: Kiel Cup Foxtrott (Melges 24, J/70, J/80, Albin Express, SB 20, Platu 25)
22. to 24. June: Kiel-Cup Alpha (ORC Int. I-IV)
25.- 26. June: "Silbernes Band" (ORC Club I-IV)
27. June: "Senatspreis" (ORC Club I-IV)
www.kieler-woche.de