Please select your home edition
Edition
Sea Sure 2025

128th Kiel Week Day 8 - Light wind, tight fights

by Andreas Kling 26 Jun 2022 07:53 NZST 18-26 June 2022

Thin cloud cover prevented thermals from building up on the penultimate day of Kiel Week (SAT, 25 June). The attempts of starting the races had to be postponed. The wind remained light, so the foil classes (Nacra 17 and iQFoils) were cancelled.

The other classes managed at least a small program. In the Medal Races of the eight Olympic disciplines for Kiel Week on Sunday, crews from Australia, Finland, Great Britain, Italy and Germany (four times) are sailing are overall leaders in yellow jerseys.

49er

With great composure, the British James Peters/Fynn Sterritt can let the Medal Race come to them. After a two-year break, they have just returned to the regatta course and are now in the lead: "I had a knee injury, and we used the time to work. Now we have our eyes on the 2024 Games", Sterritt said. "The conditions on the course under land were difficult today, but fair. We like Kiel Week. It's a great mix between sailing and partying." Going into the final, the Brits are ahead of Denmark's Frederik Rask/Jakob Precht Jensen and New Zealand's Isaac McHardie/William McKenzie.

49erFX

After a long wait ashore, the signal to go out came as a bit of a surprise to Thomas Plößel (Hamburg). Only in a fast sprint the interim crew of Sophie Steinlein made it to the boat, which the helmswoman had already rigged. The team left the harbour well behind the fleet. In the race, however, they turned the tables and sailed to victory. Although they only finished 14th in the last race of the day, they will go into the final race as the clear leaders ahead of Vilma Bobeck/Rebecca Netzler (Sweden) and Aleksandra Melzacka/Sandra Jankowiak (Poland).

470

With the change from the gender-separated Olympic disciplines to the mixed class, the German crews have got a good tailwind. In the new constellations the experienced athletes score impressively.

The DSV squad will start the Medal Race on Sunday with a trio on the first three places. The couple Malte and Anastasiya Winkel lead ahead of Luise Wanser/Philipp Autenrieth and the freshly formed crew Simon Diesch/Anna Markfort. Beaming, Anastasiya Winkel came off the water after two victories. "Our day today," she rejoiced. "We just worked well together. Malte made good starts, I really saw the pressure. And when we were in front, we defended it cleanly."

ILCA 6

Australian Mara Stransky, who enters the Medal Race in the yellow jersey, has a completely new experience: "This is exciting, I haven't had this before. It's also great that my teammates have also made it into the final," said the Olympic 14th from Tokyo. After top results in the first six races, however, she had to take a damper in Saturday's race with a 21st place. "I started on the left and the race went over to the right. But before that I had a great week. Of course, you come here to win, but I didn't expect it to work out so well." Perhaps it's also due to the surprisingly warm weather in Kiel. "The last time I was here, it was cold and rainy. I enjoy this atmosphere." Ahead of the decisive final, she has a comfortable lead over Mirthe Akkerman (Netherlands) and Monika Mikkola (Finland).

ILCA 7

BFD-festival at the Ilca 7: 21 sail numbers were noted by the race committee at the start under tightened conditions for the only race of the day and accordingly put the athletes on the list of disqualified. This also affected the top finishers. Especially annoying for Nik Willim: The man from Germany sailed over the line as the supposed winner and was presented with the nasty surprise there: "Super annoying. With the victory I would have 14 points less on the account and could race for the overall victory on Sunday." So it is currently fifth place and only a very theoretical chance of a medal position. Going into the Medal Race, Finland's Valtteri Uusitalo is the leader ahead of Wannes van Laer (Belgium) and compatriot Kaarle Tapper.

11th ACO Musto Skiff World Championship

Great Britain's Rick Peacock, who has three fourth-place finishes as his best World Championship results so far, defended his lead at Kiel Week. In the tight wind on Friday he took the lead, on Saturday he fended off the attack of South African Andy Tarboton. However, the points gap became smaller before the final day. But Peacock can expect to win a medal this time. The trio of him, Tarboton and Peter Greenhalgh (Great Britain) pulled clear of the rest of the field.

"Very tight racing today. Winning the pin was the key. I managed it in the first race, but then a yellow flag. It was difficult with light winds to sail fast, and the current at the top mark seemed to make it tricky for starboard lay line", Peacock reported. Talaton agrees with him: "It was tough out there today - two races in light wind with some shifts thrown in the mix too. I was trying to keep it free and fast through the day and keep an eye on the fleet each beat. Some surface current made mark rounding and lay lines very tricky."

Peter Greenhalgh made the day's exertions clear: "A long day with 6.5 hours on the water and 3.5 litres of hydration drink, but 2 light races that seemed to be good for me, but not as good as the unstoppable Rob Richardson, who carried his previous successes through to today! Plenty of tight racing at the front, and people all desperately trying to squeeze that extra bit of pace out of their boats to match Richardson. I'm looking forward to the final day!" Rob Richardson is a former 29er sailor and had the two bullets today: "It was a great day for me. I managed to win both races in the light winds, which actually suit me better. It was amazingly close racing, as Kiel continues to deliver. Hopefully, I will have a shot at getting a medal tomorrow." He's fourth ahead of final day.

J/24 and J/70

The wind may change for Kiel Week, but the top crews in the J/24 and J/70 classes remain ahead. Ireland's Cillian Dickson caught "not the best day" on Saturday but remains at the top. "It was difficult conditions. Tomorrow we'll focus entirely on ourselves and hope to take the win. It's our first time in Kiel and we're looking forward to sailing against the Germans and the Swedes. Kiel Week is an important event in the J/24 calendar," said the helmsman, who leads Stefan Karsunke and Jan Kähler (both Hamburg) ahead of the two remaining races.

In the J/70, Sunday will be a German-Danish duel. Due to a mistake in the last race of the day Carsten Kemmling (Hamburg) let the Danes of Bo Bøje Pedersen come closer. Florian Spalteholz (Hamburg), the 2008 Olympic eighth in the Tornado, moved up to third place.

Find out more at www.kieler-woche.de

Related Articles

Kieler Woche Day 10
Seven nations celebrate victories at the finale On the final sailing day of Kieler Woche 2025, there were beaming faces all around the Olympic Centre in Schilksee. Eleven decisions were made on Sunday and alongside Germany, Denmark, France, GB, Malta, Sweden, & Hungary were able to celebrate victories. Posted on 29 Jun
SGS Gold at Kieler Woche goes to France and GB
The best German team, Theresa Löffler and Christopher Hoerr, finished fifth With a victory in the final medal race of the Kieler Woche, the British team of Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris secured gold in the 470 class on Sunday (June 29). Posted on 29 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 9
Hosts without Sailing Grand Slam medals, but leading in five classes The final six medals in the mixed classes of the Olympic Sailing Grand Slam (SGS) at Kieler Woche will be awarded on Sunday (June 29) without any German contenders. Posted on 29 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 8
Mourniac & Retornaz take the lead in the Nacra 17 class A dream day ahead of the second weekend at the Kieler Woche regatta off Schilksee: Moderate to fresh westerly winds with strong gusts, alternating sun and clouds, provided ideal sailing conditions for all participants on Friday. Posted on 27 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 7
British mixed dominance in dinghy and catamaran After the second day of the Sailing Grand Slam in the Olympic mixed classes, Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris are leading the 470 class even more dominantly than John Gimson and Anna Burnet in the Nacra 17 on Thursday (June 26). Posted on 26 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 6
Double gold for France in Olympic classes Perfect sailing conditions marked the final of Kieler Woche in the Olympic skiff, dinghy, and surf classes: On Wednesday, June 25, the waters off Schilksee offered fresh to strong, challenging winds with flat waves. Posted on 25 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 5
Tuesday served as a warm-up for the hot finale of Kieler Woche Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Bartelheimer from Bavaria in the skiff, as well as Kiel native Fabian Wolf on the foiling windsurf board, will enter Wednesday's (June 25) medal races as leaders. Posted on 24 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 4
IDM Inshore Gold to Flensburg and Denmark The weather conditions during Kieler Woche on Tuesday continued just as they had on Monday: sustained winds well over 20 knots and gusts exceeding 30. Posted on 24 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 3
A Tough Test for Athletes and Equipment Fresh to strong south-westerly winds with stormy squalls pushed participants to their limits on Monday at Kieler Woche. Posted on 23 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 2
The Olympic skiffs sorted themselves into gold and silver fleets after four daily races Subtropical sailing conditions with a light but sufficient breeze delighted the athletes on Sunday (June 22) on the second regatta day of Kieler Woche. Posted on 22 Jun
KZRaceFurlersC-Tech 2020 Battens 2 728x90 BOTTOMTNI Pindar SW Ads_728x90px-5 BOTTOM