NZL 544 Greg WILCOX -Kieler Woche-Berichterstattung (c): okpress

von Greg Wilcox 26.07.2016
So this year Kieler Woche was pretty much like every year except it didn’t rain quite so much as usual. It was windy but not actually all that cold. We were back on course Echo which is normally not so bad as with the westerly wind it is not so far back to the harbour. Unfortunately the wind didn’t quite play ball and on the windiest day it was more from the south. This meant it was around 1 1/4 hours to the beer and food waiting on the ramp (thanks again Schmiddy) after 3 races.
The racing was tough and very close with any mistakes punished not so much by distance but by boats. The fleet has become very competative and so tight that it is easy to lose 3 boats in the blink of an eye. Thomas was heard to yell in the first race “yeehah 4 world champions in the first 4” as we went around the bottom mark. With the fleet so close it must be only around 5 minutes between the first and last boat and everyone has the speed to have a good race and to stay at the front of the pack.
Jim Hunt seemed to be able to convert ordinary races into very good ones at the finish with a combination of speed and good tactics.

SWE 100 Thomas HANSSON-MILD -Kieler Woche-Berichterstattung (c): okpress

Thomas was fast downwind which saved him on most races. He did a rather spectacular capsize on a reach which caused more than a few laughs but then he recovered well. Andre couldn’t sail the last day due to work and he was leading at the time. Still the last day was very very tricky so yo never know what may have happened had he been there. Martin came to play in a few races but had some serious problems with his mast step. I guess no maintenance over the last 25 years didn’t help. He has since decided that new tape on his hiking straps and fixing the boat properly was too hard so be bought a new boat instead.
Mats Caap is out of retirement and having a lot of fun in the fleet. He still has to learn that sculling and pumping are now not allowed but at least he gave the jury something to do. Ossi had one of his best Kieler Woches ever with 8th overall. The 40 years of practise is finally paying off for him.
I have to say it was one of the most skillful and competative fleets I have raced in for a while with the likes of Oliver and Stefan and Gunter all at the front in pretty much all races. To get in the top 10 you had to really sail well and pretty much everyone did so.
Well done to Thomas who just sneaked in the win thanks to a Ufd from Jim and to Andre in 3rd.

GER 792 André BUDZIEN -Kieler-Woche-Berichterstattung (c): okpress

The good things were the racing, the beer and food and the laughing and talking with the whole fleet after the races. That Jim and John made the long trip from brexit land to join us was just great.
The bad things were all those fridge doors we shared the course with whose coaches don’t seem to be able to teach them how to start and the delays they caused to our beer drinking time.
We all know Kiel is not the best place to sail and the weather is usually shit but it is still one of the premier regattas we have each year. It is expensive and we get not so much (unless you like advertising material) however it is a great place to meet other sailors from other classes and to showcase our great boat to all the young fridge door sailors and hope they might see the light. So next year make the effort to come. In the end it is always worth it.

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