Kieler Woche Day 4: IDM Inshore Gold to Flensburg and Denmark
by Kieler Woche 24 Jun 2025 09:00 PDT
21-29 June 2025
The crew around the Danish professional helmsman Jesper Radich with the “Formula X” became the new international German inshore champion of the ORC A/B © Sascha Klahn / Kieler Woche
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. This made organizing the races challenging, as the race committee boats and course markers were heavily affected by wind and waves.
As a result, the International German Championship (IDM) Inshore for offshore yachts concluded with only one race on Tuesday. That single race was enough to shatter title or medal dreams for some crews in both groups. IDM gold went to the Danish crew of "Formula X" with professional skipper Jesper Radich (Group A+B) and to the Flensburg-based "Sydbank" skippered by Torsten Bastiansen (Group C+D).
Race officer Stefan Kunstmann would have liked to offer the crews a more intense program than just one race on the final IDM day. But the anchor thwarted his plans. "We had already changed our position compared to Monday to get better holding ground. Still, the ship started drifting after the start—at almost one knot," Kunstmann reported. He ensured a proper finish from a RIB. Re-anchoring the start boat and resetting the course would have taken too much time, so Kunstmann sent the fleet back to the harbor.
There, teams exchanged their experiences at the dock. One painful story came from Jens Kuphal and his crew on the new XR41 "eXciter." Up until the last mark rounding, they were on course for the silver medal. But in the middle of a gennaker maneuver, the jib shackle burst. The foresail dropped into the water, and with it, all hopes were lost. "With 30 knots of wind, I didn't want to send anyone up the mast to retrieve the halyard," said Kuphal. "It's very frustrating that we lost the medal due to the damage and a poor race. But that's sailing—it's a technical sport." In the end, they finished fifth.
Still, the Berlin-based skipper took many positives from the IDM. "It was a great fight among the four identical XR41s. That promises excitement for the World Championship." This time, the medals went to the sister ships of "eXciter": gold for "Formula X" (Jesper Radich, Denmark), silver for "WB IX" (Pietro Bianchi, Italy), and bronze for "Dixi 5" (Erik Stannow, Denmark).
At the Worlds in Tallinn in August, "Formula X" will be the team to beat. They delivered a convincing performance in the six races on the Kiel Fjord, with four wins and two second places for a dominant overall victory. "The German Championship was an important step on our way to Tallinn," said Jesper Radich, who has been a professional sailor for over 15 years. But this time, he's in a special role with the XR41. "It's the first time I've worked so directly with the shipyard on a project. It's great to see how my input has been implemented," said Radich.
He's also receiving a lot of media attention. "I try not to let it pressure me but to use it as extra motivation." He was very satisfied with his team's performance during Kieler Woche. "It was a very good team effort. It's the second time we've sailed with the A-team that will also be on board for the Worlds. And it shows the high development potential—even though we're not quite there yet."
High praise for Radich and his crew came from Kræn B. Nielsen, CEO of X-Yachts, who joined as the 11th man on board during Kieler Woche. "We have a team of great experience and young Danish talent. It's good to see how well it all fits together. Our goal is the World Championship. Winning gold there is our aim. But I expect a tough competition." The outlook is promising: in the fifth regatta since the project began, "Formula X" claimed its fifth victory.
There was a change at the top of the rankings in Group C+D with the final race. "Sydbank" (Torsten Bastiansen) managed to snatch gold, narrowly pushing the Swedish "Garmin Team Pro4U" (Patrik Forsgren) into second place. Third went to "patent4" with skipper Oliver Voss. Text: Ralf Abratis
Swedish spinnaker trimmer and strategist Thomas Tennström was a bit disappointed to have lost the chance at gold. "We had a premature start, had to go back, and lost two minutes. After that, we made a great comeback, but fourth place was the best we could do in that race. That cost us the title." Still, the IDM was a strong preparation for the Worlds. "We had very different conditions. Today alone, winds ranged from 15 to 32 knots. That required good boat handling. We'll now sail Runt Gotland and then head to the Worlds. We want to compete for the title—even though we're a purely amateur team," said Tennström.
The third-placed "patent4" team would have liked more time on the water. "It's very frustrating that only one race was sailed on both Monday and Tuesday. Especially in these conditions, crew and boat were strong. With more races, we could have achieved more. We feel robbed of the title fight," said owner Jürgen Klinghardt. He couldn't be on board due to an injury but received a disappointed call from his crew right after the final signal. For "patent4"—as well as for "eXciter" in Group A+B—there's still a second chance at IDM gold. The long-distance Silver Band Race on Thursday, following the Aalregatta, will continue the championship in the offshore discipline.
Full results here