Kieler Woche 2009: ISAF Sailing World Cup in the Spotlight

The world tour of Olympic Sailing as well as three high-class international Championships leave their mark on Kieler Woche 2009 (20 - 28 June). The ISAF World Sailing Cup already started in December with the Sail Melbourne (Australia) and will be continued this month in Miami (USA). After three other international regattas it will make a stop in Kiel until its finals will take place in Weymouth (Great Britain/Hosting city of the Olympic sailing races 2012). Besides this Grand Slam of sailing sports other highlights of the 127th years old Kieler Woche are the 505 European Championship (24 - 28 June) as well as the X-35 World Championship and the first European Championship of the X-41 class which has only recently been officially recognized as international One Design class (both 24 – 28 June).

Not without pride, Jobst Richter Chairman of the Kieler Woche Race Committee was presenting these highlights at the traditional Kiel-Treff at boot Düsseldorf, the biggest international boat show worldwide which is still lasting until the 25th of January. Together with the Mayoress of the city Kiel Angelika Volquartz and the President of the City Council Cathy Kietzer, Richter welcomed more than 300 guests at the Kiel-Treff. Among them the highest representative of the German sailing sport Rolf Bähr (DSV-President) and the Mayor of Düsseldorf Dirk Elbers.

“Our engagement at boot is usually the beginning of the countdown for Kieler Woche. Apart from being the largest sailing event in the world at this year’s Kieler Woche we will also celebrate the premiere of the ISAF World Sailing World Cup in KIEL.SAILING CITY. It is a great thing and a recognition of the Kieler Yacht-Club and its partner associations“, explains the Mayoress of Kiel Angelika Volquartz. Also the summer festival of Kieler Woche 2009 is awaiting the visitors with numerous attractions, promises Angelika Volquartz.

CEO of the boot Matthias Dornscheidt and boot project manager Goetz-Ulf Jungmichel reaffirmed the loyal cooperation of boot and the city Kiel and were pleased with Kiel’s strong appearance in Düsseldorf. According to Dornscheidt the Kiel-Treff in Düsseldorf is the annual beginning for Kieler Woche.

The strong competition about Kieler Woche medals and ISAF Sailing World Cup points results in an early coming of Olympic sailors at the events as they prefer to train in the respective area beforehand. That is why Kieler Woche will again begin with the Olympic Classes in order to grant the sailors an undisturbed arrival. „We will even begin one day earlier“, said Richter. For the ten Olympic disciplines this year’s Kieler Woche already begins with a practise race on Friday 19 June. First start on Saturday will then be at 11 o’clock in the morning. Olympic Classes are racing for five days from Saturday to Wednesday (20 - 24 June). The 13 International Classes will be on the starting line from Thursday to Sunday (25 – 28 June).

“The ISAF Sailing World Cup will bring a new focus to Olympic sailing, demonstrating the excitement, skill and passion of the sport”, said Göran Petersson, ISAF President. “It is an appreciation/ as a tribute of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). The ISAF pays tribute to the six participating events for their previous contribution to sailing sports nationally and internationally”, said the organizer of the Kieler Woche Jobst Richter. To offer and assure high quality and fairness the direct judging will be intensified at Kieler Woche. “We want to offer high quality with which quick decisions on the water go along”, explains Richter. Instead of long protest hearings after the races a stronger presence of umpires on the spot will ensure that breaches of the rules can be penalized ad hoc. “Then the first one passing the finish line will also be the winner of the race without reservation”, said Richter.

Besides the desirable Kieler Woche titles Olympic Sailors will this year also be competing for ISAF Sailing World Cup points. The world tour which has already begun in December with the Sail Melbourne (Australia) followed by the Rolex Miami Regatta (USA) this month, will be continued with the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía – MAPFRE (Palma/Spain/April), the Semaine Olympique Francaise de Viole (Hyéres/France/April), the Delta Lloyd Regatta (Medemblik/The Netherlands/May), in June Kieler Woche until the final event Skandia Sail for Gold (Weymouth/Great Britain) takes place in September.

Part of the international fire of Kieler Woche will also be the German juniors of the RS:X class. In order to compete on a professional level the offspring surfers will hold their German Junior Championship in the RS:X class during Kieler Woche.

This was decided by the Committee for Promotion of Young Talents of the German Sailing Federation.

Also the International Part (25 - 28 June) of Kieler Woche underwent some changes. One highlight for sure is the SAP 505 European Championship which already begins on Wednesday while the other 13 International Classes will be starting on Thursday noon. “We reckon with at least 100 boats”, said Jürgen Waldheim (Berlin), Chairman of the 505 class association.

“The 505 class brings a lot of energy and with that lures many young and active sailors into the two-hand dinghy”, is Jobst Richter looking forward to their Championship. To combine sportive ambitions and social events is managed well by the 505 class in which many well-known sailors are represented. Enjoying the performance and athletic comparison mixed with meeting like-minded is focused on. The skimming dinghy offers competitive sport without a daily training and without the arising costs for Olympic campaigns, describes Jobst Richter the 505 class. Wolfgang Hunger (once 470er Olympic athlete), the Danish brothers Bojsen-Moeller (multiple Kieler Woche winner in FD and 505), Dietrich Scheder-Bieschin, Klaus Stammerjohann, etc., etc. – the names of the 505 class are sonorous. The more it is to appreciate that the 64 years old Hasso Plattner (SAP) keeps up with high-class Championships and is placing himself in the first third. “I am sure that the 505er will attract many with their appearance in Kiel”, said organizer Richter.

There will also be more space for the aspiring 29er class which along with the 505er and 420er will get their own race area. “We are fulfilling the demands. Together with the 420er where this year’s number of entries has to be limited to 160 starters from a record breaking 200 in the past year, more than a hundred 29er were racing in the same area”, said Richter. That is why this year the race area Hotel will be cleared for the 29er class. Then, the spectators will be able to follow the skiff class from ashore.

However, while the 505 and 29er class became the centre of interest in the International Part of Kieler Woche the end for the pirates was decided.

After more than a decade the pirate class and the Kieler Woche part company. “The pirates will now have their home at the Young Europeans Sailing (YES) at Whitsun. During Kieler Woche we have to stick to the concept and can only admit Olympic and International Classes in the long run. After 12 years together it was not an easy but consistent decision” said Jobst Richter Chairman of the Race Committee, who hopes for the pirates to accept the YES as their new platform. Incidentally, here the keel boats will be banned. The Stars, Dragons and J24 do not fit anymore in the concept of a young professional dinghy event.