Strength in depth in Kieler Woche fleets

by Andi Robertson on 20 Jun 2016 2016 Kieler Woche - Strength in depth in many of the classes racing at the Kieler Woche is the big magnet that pulls sailors on an odyssey to Schilksee, but excellent race management on the water, slick organisation and a fantastic warm, festival atmosphere ashore add to the appeal.

What Kiel may lack in Mediterranean sunshine and reliable summer sea breezes it more than makes up for with its warm welcome ashore. They have been doing it for so many years and know what makes hard bitten competitive sailors happy.

“It is great to come ashore and enjoy free beer and sandwiches, it’s a small detail but it makes a difference when you have had a hard day on the water.”

“This is a great event, there are lots of people and lots of races.” Smiles Briton Jim Hunt who leads a gilt edged OK fleet of 42 boats.”

'We get 11 races in four days and that is fantastic. It is good practice for us for the World Championships coming up in Quiberon in four or five weeks. And the OK fleet is strong. André Budzien who won the Worlds last year, Stefan Myralf who has won the Laser Europeans is handy, Oliver Gronholz has won loads, and Greg Wilcox from New Zealand is the world ranked 1 at the moment, and Bo Petersen won the Europeans, and so really there is nobody missing.”

Putting beer on and sandwiches, everyone gets together and has a chat after racing. It is so well run. We are happy they have us and happy to be here.”

Hunt leads the OK fleet by three points with a third and second and a fifth place discard. ?The same draw, fleet racing at the highest level, holds true in the 505 Class where Hunt’s GBR compatriots Ian Pinnell and Alex Davies now lead the truly international fleet of 49 boats. Pinnell and Davies went one, one, three, relishing the shifty, breezy winds. They too are polishing their act in readiness for their World Championships at Weymouth:

“We seemed to go the right way today, we got to the right corner early and played the shifts and that worked for us. You had to play the shifts and staying in the wind pressure which was up and down a lot.” Said Pinnelli who leads English rivals Andy Smith and Tim Needham by two points with Germany’s Wolfgang Dr Hunger and Julien Kleiner in third, the only German crew in the top seven.

“There are several world championships winners here and so that is why we are here, getting ready for the worlds in Weymouth. So it is good preparation to come here and race against sailors like Wolfgang Hunger and Jorgen Bojsen-Moeller.

World Championships preparation is even more valuable in the Laser 4.7 class as Kiel-Schilksee plays hosts to the Worlds in two weeks time. Holland’s Piet Hein Kraan started the day with the leader’s yellow bib on but had to pass it to Germany’s Julia Buesselberg who is the only German in the top 10 of the 101 boat fleet.

“With the worlds here in a couple of weeks we are training here. There are so many competitors here from all around. Last year I finished 21st in the worlds, now here after these first couple of days I am starting to think I can do really well. But it is breezy here and I like that and a lot of the others are lighter.”

Valérian Lebrun from La Rochelle gave up Europe sailing to compete as a triathlete but came back to the class two years ago. His four race wins from six starts, added to a second place, in the brisk winds suggest he has lost nothing of his fitness.

“It is a little easier than triathlon.” Quips Lebrun, “That’s why I came back to it. But I love the Europe. I am happy here. I have not been here for ten years and it is great place to meet people from other classes. It is not just the Europe class, the Finn class, the Laser class, everybody is together and enjoying their racing.”

“The level here is good. The guy who won the last two world championships Norway’s Lars Johan Brodtkorb is breathing down my neck in second, and Soren Johnsen is a legend for our class because he won the world championships several times before. I like this boat because it is so nice to steer and you can move the boat with your weight.”

The Dutch duo Pieter van Leijen and Daniel Bramervaer still lead the 29er Class but have spent two discards. Their 19th came in race six when they suffered a technical problem and their gennaker came down into the water.

“The next race we made a port tack start but got a UFD (DSQ with no hearing). But after that we won, all bullets. We like the wind direction and we like the stronger winds. There are a lot of light teams here.”

And Dutch honours are upheld in the ORC International German Championship where veteran Piet Vroon and his international crew won the first offshore race, a 150 mile overnight race, finishing at 0120hrs this Sunday morning. Eighty six year old Vroon and his crew are competing at Kieler Woche for the first time, en route to the Gotland Runt with their Ker 51.

Vroon and team have another full season ahead including Cowes Week where Vroon first competed in 1952. Respect is due! “We had wonderful weather and we went fast.” Vroon reported this morning, “It was quite a complicated course. It was a good sail and we won handsomely on corrected time. The regatta has a good reputation and I wanted to come here and see it. If I did not do it now then I may never be able to again!”

“We are going to Sweden for the first time. We have been more or less everywhere else! It is all fun. We might go to Copenhagen for the ORC Worlds but I have no idea how the boat rates. We do our best to sail as fast as possible. We have six nationalities on board, Dutch, Belgian, British, South African, Australian and Kiwi.”

“I have to make the best of things now as I may not be able to do this much longer and I don’t really contribute. I serve as ballast and keep the cheque book dry.”

Kieler Woche (18. until 26. June):

Part 1 (18. until 21. June):

29er, 505, Albin Express, Contender, Europe, Flying Dutchman, Folkboat, F18, Hobie 16, J24, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial (open), Musto Skiff, OK Dinghy.

Part 2 (22. until 26. June):

2.4mR (IGC), 470 (W), 470 (M/both with JWC), 49er, 49er FX, Finn, Laser Radial (W), Laser Std (M), Nacra 17, Sonar (IGC).

Part 2 (23. until 26. June):

Melges 24, J/70 (EC), J/80, 420.

Part 3 - Offshore (18. until 25. June):

Welcome Race 1. race (Sat, 18. June) Kiel-Eckernfoerde, 2. race (Sun, 19. June) Eckernfoerde – Kiel: ORC Club I-IV, Mulithulls 3 classes (>39 ft, 30 up to 39 ft, < 30 ft), Albin Ballad.
Senatspreis (Thu, 23. June): ORC Club I - IV.
Silbernes Band (24. until 25. June): ORC Club I - IV.

Offshore (Seesegel-) IGC (International German Championship):

Long Distance (Sat,18. June, until Sun,19. June): ORCi I - IV.
Kiel-Cup Alpha (Mon, 20. June, until Wed, 22. June): Short races: ORCi I - IV.