In difficult conditions, the HelgCup celebrated a successful start on the Hamburg Outer Alster yesterday. "I am totally flashed," said initiator Sven Juergensen from the North German Regatta Association (NRV) at the official opening in the evening, referring to the fact that a small idea from the previous year has now resulted in such a large event.
Tax meeting in the NRV
Over 250 female sailors from Germany, Austria and the US are currently in the NRV to compete in 62 teams in the first German women's keelboat championship. However, the conditions for this were not ideal on the first day - calm and a maximum of a mild breeze were predicted for the Alster. "We discussed the wind forecast for a long time and came to the conclusion that we want to sail under all circumstances," said overall race director Klaus Lahme at the helmsman, pardon tax women conference.
Similar to the Bundesliga format, six crews sail against each other on the Seascape course, eight crews on the J / 70 course. After two races there is a flying crew change at the jetty and the next group starts.
Light wind sailing on the Outer Alster on short up-and-down courses
Right at the beginning a young crew of the German Sailing Association went on the water, the team "DSV Kader I" around helmsman LaurSchewe, who otherwise sails Laser Radial and trains in the German Sailing Team. "We don't assume that we will win here," says Schewe, 17, and laughs. "We only had a little time to train because we travel so much in our own dinghy classes. But it's cool to sail in a team."
The DSV has put together three women crews for the HelgCup, in addition to two consisting of competitive sailors, the "DSV Rookie Crew". None of the four cruising sailors had ever started a regatta, in the past few months they have been preparing intensively for starts, barrel rounding, gennaker sets and other subtleties of regatta sailing.
"The first races went really well, even if we made rookie mistakes and disregarded the rules - and were promptly punished for it. But the atmosphere is great," said helmsman Marion Köhler at the end of the first Helga Cup day.
Sailing is on J / 70 and Seascape 24
Crews from all over Germany, from Berlin to Lake Constance and also numerous from Northern Germany are represented, as well as two Austrian teams. The longest journey, however, has to be booked by two women crews from the US who came to Hamburg especially for the regatta in New York.
"We don't even have a format like this," says Tracy McRoberts of the Seawanhak Corinthian Yacht Club, who wants to expand women's sailing in her club. At the invitation of their partner association NRV, both teams found their way to the Alster and, when the mood was good, they didn't miss anything on land or on the water until the end of the first day - only occasionally the wind.
Lull before the start. Sailors went swimming, the fun was not lost