Departure And Farewell

Departure And Farewell
Departure And Farewell

Video: Departure And Farewell

Video: Departure And Farewell
Video: Departure and farewell 2024, March
Anonim

The thrilling AAR duel for victory could hardly have been more conciliatory: Some rewarded themselves for their successful transatlantic race with the "Line Honors" for the first ship to cross the finish line, while others can count on being the overall winners after a calculated time to become. No wonder that both the crew around "Mailizi - Yacht Club de Monaco" skipper Boris Herrmann and Jens Kellinghusen's "VarunVI" team celebrated and congratulated each other at the destination after almost ten days at sea. After the end for the top favorite "Rambler 88", who had her port rudder two days after the starting gun was fired as a result of the collision with a "UFO" (abbreviation from English: "Unknown floating object") had lost and had to give up, the two German teams had taken their chance and marked the anniversary regatt for the 150th anniversary of the North German Regatt Club (NRV) with their duel.

Atlantic Anniversary Regatta
Atlantic Anniversary Regatta

First ship home: "Malizi - Yacht Club de Monaco" with Boris Herrmann and his crew

Atlantic Anniversary Regatta
Atlantic Anniversary Regatta

Thumbs up: Boris Herrmann and "Malizi - Yacht Club de Monaco" at the finish of the AAR 2018

For the organizers from the Alster, there was double reason to celebrate, because both skippers are members of the NRV, even if Boris Herrmann sailed on course to participate in the Vendée Globe in 2020 under the flag of the Yacht Club de Monaco, which was intensively planning supports being the first German to take part in the toughest solo non-stop regattum in the world. For Boris Herrmann, the successful AAR participation with Claus and Christopher Löwe as well as Tim Müller and Christoph Enge marked another important step on his Vendée course. The silver-colored yacht can now be admired in Hamburg's Sandtorhafen until July 29th. When the "Malizi - Yacht Club de Monaco" crossed the finish line off Cuxhaven at 5.54 am and 16 seconds after 9 days, 12 hours, 14 minutes and 16 seconds at sea, the storm clouds had just cleared at dawn. At the finish, not only the foils of the Imoca racing goat could be seen from afar - the beacon of the winners also caused goose bumps in the finale of one of the fastest Atlantic crossings in history. Only 54 minutes and a second later, Jens Kellinghusen's regatta rocket "VarunVI" shot over the finish line.

AAR 2018
AAR 2018

Concentrated until the end: Jens Kellinghusen at the wheel of his "VarunVI"

"That was a duel on a knife edge," said Boris Herrmann, "until shortly before the end we weren't sure whether the lead would be enough." "VarunVI" owner Kellinghusen explained: "The spinnaker case broke on the penultimate day. That cost us the crucial nautical miles." Kellinghusen should get over it, as he will probably have the bow in the overall standings in the end with the somewhat smaller ship after the calculated time due to the handicap factor.

AAR 2018
AAR 2018

Overall victory in sight: the "VarunVI" crew at the finish in front of Cuxhaven

"We are very satisfied with the outcome, because over long stretches we had to make do with aft or wide winds at an angle from behind," Herrmann continued. Whenever there was enough half wind from the side, the "Malizi - Yacht Club de Monaco" was raised on its foils and - in the style of a thoroughbred racehorse - could no longer be held. 34 knots above ground meanwhile meant the absolute top speed. That is at least 70 kilometers per hour! "It pushed us flat three times after the boat got out of hand in gusts," said crew member Claus Löwe, "and it felt like an eternity before we sailed upright again." Man and material survived the moments of shock without any injuries, proof of the robustness of the "Malizi - Yacht Club de Monaco", which is supposed to sail around the globe in a good two years.

Father Moritz Herrmann got up in the middle of the night to watch his 37-year-old son cross the finish line. As a quiet connoisseur, Pap was amazed when the "Malizia" covered the last few meters at a 45 degree incline. A firm hug after crossing the Filius again and "such a great pride that I can hardly carry it myself" made cruising sailor Herrmann smile about the further milestone of his son.

Christoph Enge from Bremen described a unique competition experience "although one could get queasy in the fog off Newfoundland". "We had a view of only one boat's length. It was like flying blind sometimes." Everyone lay in each other's arms when they passed the ball beacon at Alte Liebe near Cuxhaven. Tim Müller lit the red-hot distress torch, and Christopher Löwe couldn't get out of the raptures: "It was a hard and dreamlike ride that I won't forget a meter."

AAR 2018
AAR 2018

Beautiful scenes behind the finish line: The teams from "Malizi - Yacht Club de Monaco" and "VarunVI" show each other their respect and celebrate their transatlantic success together

The same goes for Jens Kellinghusen's "VarunVI" crew and above all the owner himself, who, after a long and successful offshore career, is likely to say goodbye to his favorite stage, the top international long-distance races, with one last big win. "I even recorded pictures of the waves and noises as a souvenir," said Kellinghusen with a touch of sadness in his voice. The often victorious and multiple award-winning Hamburg merchant wants to be active in the future with a classic, especially in the Mediterranean. After his farewell gal, he happily took stock: "It was a lot of fun to have Boris and the 'Malizia' around with us."

AAR 2018
AAR 2018

Exhausted but happy: Jens Kellinghusen and his crew

After crossing the finish line before Cuxhaven, Boris Herrmann switched to the rescue cruiser "Anneliese Kramer", which watches over the safety of the North Sea. "The work of the DGzRS is of immeasurably important importance for us ocean sailors", the native Oldenburg thanked the crew on behalf of their work around the clock and called on his fans to donate to the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People. The Race Village of the Atlantic Anniversary Regatt opens its gates on July 19th. In the immediate vicinity of the Elbphilharmonie, the Maliziv from the Yacht Club de Monaco will also present itself there with Herrmann's sailing friend Pierre Casiraghi, who is traveling to the Hanseatic city as vice president and ambassador of his home club.

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