Longtze Premier - Eckhard Kaller wins The Light Vessel Race

by Event Media on 8 Sep 2009 The sun finally shone on Sunday for the closure of the Light Vessel Race, stage 4 of the Longtze European Tour, but the whole event was carried out in very tough conditions. The German team led by Eckhard Kaller (Wet Feet) brought it home an extremely tight battle ahead of Nicolas Bérenger (Kone Monospace) and Luc Gellusseau (Lufthansa). Overall after 4 events, the Kone Monospace team holds its lead of 1 point ahead of the Wet Feet team.

The longer it goes on, the closer the battles get on the Longtze European Tour. The teams have evolved and, despite the difficult weather conditions of this 56th edition of the Light Vessel Race, the winner of this 4th stage of the Longtze Premier European circuit was not revealed until the conclusion of the very last round.

'You must not let anything slip, ever', explains Eckhard Kaller, 'it’s so close on the water that you have to be constantly on attack! We had good speed, that helped us, but the differences were tiny. The current was very strong and we had to do really long tacks to combat the incoming tide, to have a little more speed was interesting…' Team coordination plays an equally key role: ' I have been in Eckhard’s team since the Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale, which was held in Brest last June, and we are starting to really know each other well. The instinctual responses come back very quickly at the beginning of each event. Cohesion is good and, when the boats are neck and neck as was the case here, this counts for a lot' comments Samy Villeneuve.

This victory augurs well for the Swiss team who climb to second place in the overall ranking just 1 small point behind the Kone Monospace team. And as the concluding stage of the Longtze European Tour will play out in German Switzerland, on Eckhard’s home turf of Lake Constance, a stretch of water he knows by heart, ' …it is an undeniable advantage !', recognises the German skipper. ' The wind is often light and unstable there. And, the lake isn’t very big, so you also have to deal with that…it is going to be a great regatta ! We are really happy to welcome all the teams there, we are going to do everything possible to make it a fantastic final !'

This Belgian Light Vessel Race has been tough for the 10 teams racing in the Longtze Premier. On Friday the wind was too fierce and not a single round could be held. The next day the breeze started to blow in the afternoon, allowing the race committee to launch two starts in a solid 20 to 25 knots… Sunday was the best day of the competition with sunshine, a good 14 to 18 knots on average and a strong current.

All the racers are in agreement that this has been the most physical stage of the Longtze European Tour 2009. That did not stop the team led by Arthur Le Vaillant (Kone Maxispace) from distinguishing themselves by producing some very good rounds. The youngest skipper of the fleet, who has constantly progressed, finished 6th in the final. ' Even if it doesn’t really show in the ranking, certain teams, like Arthur’s, have made enormous progress', confirms Lufthansa skipper, Luc Gellusseau, ' It’s always more passionate on the water and it’s very encouraging for the rest of the series !'

We must also recognise the performance of the two newcomers on the circuit : the German sailor Florian Drtina (9th), and the local of this stage, Patrick Demesmaeker, who finished 7th. Both had to discover the Longtze Premier in stiff breeze and current…and they enjoyed it! Worth noting then that the Longtze Premier is also a boat designed for newcomers.

The next meeting of the Longtze European Tour will be in Switzerland. The circuit’s concluding event will be fought out on Lake Constance from the 16th to the 18th of October, where about twenty Longtze Premiers are expected!

On the sporting side, the winner of the first Longtze European Tour will be decided on this delicate stretch of water, but this last get-together of the Longtze Premiers for 2009 is also sure to be a great party !

Event website: www.longtze.org