Kieler Woche - Day 6
by Andi Robertson 23 Jun 2016 20:57 BST
18-26 June 2016
Kieler Woche shrugged off its reputation for chilly Baltic temperatures and turned on Mediterranean temperatures and much more settled breezes. Clearly the warmth and decent breezes suit the Spanish girls Silvia Mas and Paula Barcelo who lead the Women's fleet at the 470 Junior World Championships by five points. In the Men's championship the German duo Malte Winkl and Matti Cipra still lead but the Italians Giacomo Ferrari and Giuilio Calabro were unstoppable today winning both of their races.
Italian crews also made the early pace on the first day of the 90 boat J/70 European Championships holding all four top places after three races for all three fleets. Stefano Roberti – who sails for the YC Monaco – and Carlo Alberini – both won two races apiece which they add to a second place.
In the 49er Class New Zealanders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke atoned after an OCS yesterday and posted 2,1,1,2 today to take over the lead of the class.
After a problematic opening day when the unsettled, shifty breezes proved hard to read, smiles were more prominent around the 470 Junior World Championships boat park today after racing. The Men's fleets raced two good contests in a settled 8-12kts while the Womens fleets enjoyed three good races.
Italians did it better in the Men's fleet where Giancomo Ferrari and Guilio Calabro – who finished third last year - won both of their fleet races to move into the Finals series tomorrow in fourth place overall.
"Yesterday was very tricky. Today was perfect." Crew Calabro confirmed, "Our second start was not very good at all but we really were sailing fast. Two wins is good for us."
But it is the German duo Malte Winkel and Matti Cipra who are riding a wave of confidence on the water they know well.
"The wind was stable and it was quite physical. We had to fight hard in both races rounding the top mark in fifth or sixth each time and then taking boats. In the second race we had such a bad start, touching the pin end boat and so we had to do a 360 but we got fourth," said Cipra.
Helm Matti Winkl adds: "I think we are leading because we have made the fewest mistakes. Yesterday was really difficult and you had to get the one gust to do well and if you missed it you were nowhere. This year we have been sailing a lot in Rio to support our 470 team for the Olympic Games but the last one and a half weeks we have trained hard here. And the last few years we have trained here but mostly in front of the harbour. And I learned on a Lake so the shifty conditions are good for me."
The German pair, who have never before lead a regatta as big and important as the 470 Junior World Championship, take a margin of two points into the Finals but face stiff competition from the Barcelona's Charles twins who were crowned ISAF Youth World Champions in the 420 class in Dublin are furiously consistent and last year's 470 Junior World Champions Guillaume Pirouelle and Valentin Sapin – who finished runners up to the Charles in Dublin – are also well placed in fifth.
It was not today's sticky heat which made the Spanish duo Silvia Mas and Paula Barcelo feel at home but the breeze patterns and choppy sea which – they say – are reminiscent of their training waters on the Bay of Palma. The fizzy Spaniards sailed a steady 2,4,2 and so lead last year's runners up Maria Bozi and Rafalina Klonaridou by five points going into the Finals.
"It was not tricky like yesterday, much more settled and usually the left was strong. I think we can do well here if we can keep this up into the finals," said crew Barcelo.
The J/70 fleet is split into two groups for the preliminary stages but the standard in each was universally high. The winds were from the ESE at around 8-12kts and the fleets sailed three races each with clean starts and no recalls and no course changes. The most consistent performers on the water were the Monaco flagged Piccinina in the Blue Group and Calvi Networks in the Yellow group.
Past Italian Olympian and Melges 24 world champion Kiko Fonda calls tactics on Piccinina. He won the Melges 24 worlds on Lake Garda from a fleet of more than 120 boats in 2012. Also consistent were Calvi Networks – matching Piccinina's scoreline - Claudia Rossi on Petite Terrible, winning the first race in her group, and Edoardo Lupi's Torpyone which has three times Melges 24 World Champion Lorenzo Brassani calling tactics.
"Conditions were very good, not too strong winds but we sailed well with good speed from our trimmers and our tactician did a nice job overall the races. I am watching the other Italian crews up there in the top positions but it is such early days. It is a long game. Tomorrow will be different conditions." Said Calvi Networks owner-driver Carlo Alberini, "I came here expecting to finish in the Top 10, but it is the two last days which count and the best teams are all in the same races."
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke did not have it all their own way on the second day of racing for the 49er fleet. 2008's Olympic gold medallist Jonas Warrer sailing with Christian Lubeck took the first race with Burling and Tuke second while Germany's Justus Schmidt and Max Boheme – runners up in Barcelona at the 49er Europeans won the third race of the day.
The high calibre racing – two sets of Olympic medallists in the top three – is good for all as preparation for Rio:
"After yesterday's UFD we are happier today. We made a couple of errors which meant we did not win all our races. We sailed well yesterday and here we are just looking to keep on learning and keep on getting better." Said helm Burling.
Burling and Tuke lead by one point from the Croatians Pavle Kostov and Petar Cupac with Warrer and Lubeck third and Ireland's Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern in fourth.
It pays off to study the clouds
"Bachyachting Racing Team" from Jascha Bach (Netherlands) from the Netherlands wins the International German Championship
The International German Championship of the offshore sailors during the Kiel Week did come to an end with a dramatic regatta in a tricky race in the middle of a convergence zone. The yacht crews had to have a feeling for the wind in the end. So the championship did offer all sorts of conditions for the sailors. In the class ORC III, the "Bachyachting Racing Team" from Jascha Bach (Netherlands), who was already the set winner, could bring home another victory. In the other two classes, it was tight. There were only 0.2 points between the ORC I winner "Sportsfreund" (Axel Seehafer, Heiligenhafen/Germany) from the second-placed "Silva Neo (Dennis Gehrlein, Kiel/Germany). The "X-Day" from Max Gurgel (Hamburg) did finally become the champion in ORC II after their victory on the last race day.
Race director for the International German Championship Stefan Kunstmann was happy that the risk he took to face the difficult weather scenario was worth it. Because of the tight time schedule, he had decided to start the race, although the pressure areas still had to stabilize. "So it was tricky for the sailors and they had to accurately read the clouds. But it was not a lottery. If you had the right instinct, you could make quite a bit out of it", said Kunstmann. Altogether the race director experienced the days in Kiel as a worthy championship: For this long distance, which was set in an interesting scenery, strategy and endurance were the key factors for success; in the up and down races, fast and smooth manoeuvres were important. "It was impressive to see, how well the intense training of the teams in spring paid off. The crews seem to be well prepared for the World Championship in Copenhagen. “
On "X-Day" from Walter Watermann (Dortmund/Germany) they made every effort to observe the weather in the last race of the ORC II: Strategist Sven Gauter was up on the spreader in the mast until short before the start to find wind patches and thus made a good start possible for his boat. Glider pilot Kai Rohse Brandenburger was also involved in interpreting the cloud pictures. That paid off: "On the first downwind, we did come back close to 'Sydbank' and passed her on the second", told "X-Day" helmsman Max Gurgel. Thus the "X-Day" could keep the "Sydbank" at a distance also in the overall ranking. The "Arxes-Tolina BM Yachting" from Peter Beck Mikkelsen (Flensburg/Germany) did end up on the second place of the podium.
Everyone took a deep breath on the yacht "Sportsfreund" from Axel Seehafer (Heiligenhafen) after they had a look at the list of results. Place three at the end following right after "Silva Neo" (Dennis Gehrlein) was just about enough for the overall victory. "Many thanks to the women on 'Tutima', who stayed in front of 'Silva' in the race. Otherwise we would not have made it. It was great to see, how they speeded up in the race." Having had a strong series of three victories on the up and down races, "Tutima" had to take rank three in the end. "We would have needed another day", said helmswoman Kirsten Harmstorf.
After the early title victory of the Dutch "Bachyachting Racing Team", Knut Freudenberg (Bad Laer/Germany) did manage to get on rank two with his yacht "Halbtrocken" in ORC III/IV. The ambitions for a medal of the winner from the previous year Juergen Klinghardt (Hamburg) ended in the downwash of the Swedish "Malin" from Patrik Forsgren.
DSV head of offshore sailing Wolfgang Schaefer was satisfied with the results of the International German Championship. The doctor from Lueneburg had traveled to Kiel to follow the last races. "Close racing also between gennaker and spinnaker yachts did show, that the formula works", said the skipper of a Farr 40.
After the International German Championship in Kiel, all the champions also have the World Championship in Copenhagen on their schedule. 135 boats have registered for the Worlds in Denmark from 15. until 23. July.
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