Optimist World Champion races with BMW Oracle

by BMW Oracle Media on 3 Sep 2005 As 14-year-old Tina Lutz climbed aboard USA-76 to join the BMW ORACLE Racing team for its first fleet race in Malmö, skipper Chris Dickson’s first question was, 'Can you swim?'

The newly-crowned world Optimist champion hesitated a moment before she saw the joke and was soon at her ease, chatting with the afterguard who made her welcome for her ride aboard as the 18th man.

Tina, who lives in Chiemsee, Bavaria, won the world title two weeks ago at Lake Silvaplana, Engadin, near St Moritz. Racing against 241 sailors from 52 nations, she is the third girl to win the title Championship in its 43 year history and the first since Lisa Westerhof (NED) in 1996.

Since winning the title, she has had a hectic time and her father, Reinhold, said he had questioned whether she really wanted to travel to Sweden to sail with the America’s Cup team. 'But, there was no stopping her,' he laughed.

Afterwards, she said she had fun racing with the team. 'My impressions were of very good teamwork on board USA-76,' she said. 'I have only sailed a single-handed boat before, so that was interesting to see. There was a great atmosphere on board.'

'The boat makes tremendous noises as it sails. It is great. It feels alive like a big beast.' Straight after her visit to Malmö, she had to travel to Lake Garda, Italy, where she was to join the German 420 dinghy training squad, because she will now graduate out of the Optimist class.

Having won three world youth titles in the class, Dickson swapped notes with her about 420 sailing and recalled that he won the German youth title at Lake Ammersee, near her hometown, in 1979.

'I asked him if I could apply for a job and he said I should first win two more world titles,' she laughed.

Dickson said it was a great pleasure to have Lutz sailing with the team. “We love to encourage young sailors and help them go forward.

'There is a world of difference between an Optimist dinghy and an America’s Cup yacht, but the basics are the same – they rely on wind power and you have to get them round the track faster than anybody else.

'I hope she gained something from her time with us.'