Kiel Week record: More than 1900 boats registered

The acting European Champions Tina Lutz/Susann Beucke (Strande/Chiemsee) would like to get their third Kiel Week victory in the 49erFX © www.segel-bilder.de

Highlights - one after another, meeting of the sailing world, melting pot Kiel Schilksee: The Kiel Week once more offers the whole spectrum of the sailing sport from 16. until 24 June. Moorings are reaching their capacity limits.

"All in all we are talking about a record number of 1900 registered boats from about 60 nations. This is great", said the Head of Organization of the Kiel Week Regattas, Dirk Ramhorst, on Monday at the third press conference before the event in the imperial hall ("Kaisersaal") of the Kiel Yacht Club. Registration numbers are on the one hand a feedback for the good work in the previous years, "but we also are aware of the tail wind we are receiving from the Worlds in Aarhus", stated Ramhorst.

More than 4000 active sailors want to prove their abilities in Kiel. The Olympic classes are set up with international and top-level sailors. Above all the teams from overseas, from countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the USA also use Kiel as a general trial for the Worlds in Aarhus taking place five weeks later. For the German National Team it is in the end about qualifying to participate in Denmark.

With the World Championship of the Laser Radial Men, the Eurosaf European Para Sailing Championship, the big boat regatta "Aalregatta", the worldwide first event of the Women's Campions League and the start of the Nord Stream Race, the Kiel Week again has many high-level sailing events on the program agenda in its 136. year.

"The completion of the Kiel Week with one to two special events is our clear strategy. We are making up our mind to bring the right highlights to Kiel", explained Ramhorst the integration of World Championships for a further upgrade of the Kiel Week.

More than 4,000 regatta participants, 1900 boats, more than 400 starts, active sailors from about 60 nations, 42 classes/disciplines, ten race courses on nine days - those are the numbers of the Kiel Week 2018, where 3.5 million visitors are expected, among them 400,000 visiting the sailing games in Kiel Schilksee.

The innovations in the surroundings and ashore also fit to this huge event which is happening on the water during the Kiel Week. The new RFID system (radio frequency identification) will provide more safety. Each crew checks out, when going on the water, and checks in, when they are back ashore. And the cooperation with the new supporter Remonds will improve the sustainability. No straws, waste separation, fast degradable coffee cups and on-site information about waste avoidance are the first steps this year.

The Kiel Week is above all pure sailing. Even before Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be giving the official starting signal with the typhoon for the biggest sailing event in the world on 16. June, fireworks will begin on Saturday morning in Kiel Schilksee and at the water front "Kiellinie" together with the "Aalregatta" and the Welcome Race.

Find out more at www.kieler-woche.de