Regatta start of the 22s before Saltsjobaden 2008 on the occasion of the anniversary races 100 years of the archipelago cruiser
For the regatta program 2014, three focus regattas have already been determined, divided into southern, central and northern Europe. In the south there will be sailing from May 22nd to 25th on the occasion of the International Lake Constance Week in Constance. The 22 square meter archipelago cruisers start in the "open archipelago cruiser class", which was founded in 2013. A total of eight regattas are planned.
The northern priority regatt will start off Sandhamn, in the archipelago off Stockholm. From August 6th to 10th, the international Swedish championships of the 22-seater archipelago will be held there. The Royal Swedish Yacht Club, KSSS, in Stockholm organizes and conducts these regattas.
The third priority regatt is announced as the season highlight. From September 17th to 19th, a Eurocup of the 22 square meter archipelago cruisers will be sailed for the first time on the Wannsee in Berlin. As early as December 2013, 24 archipelago cruiser owners from Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and Australia signed up for the list of interested parties. This first Eurocup already promises to be a success, since Sweden has a top-class field of eight yachts on the list, peppered with top sailors.
After the Eurocup, from September 20th to 21st, the Kaiserpokal will take place, with a separate starting group for the 22nd archipelago cruisers. The executing association for both events is the Berlin Yacht Club.
Boom for the non-Swedish
After the big anniversary regattas "100 Years of Stockholm Summer Olympics" in Nynäshamn 2012, several participants and owners of 22-seater skerry cruisers from Lake Constance and Berlin decided to continue these activities outside of Sweden. A working group was formed under the leadership of the Swiss Adrian Schmidlin from Rorschach on Lake Constance, the German Matthias Grothues-Spork from Berlin, also regatta director from the Berlin Yacht Club, and the Swede ZorSorman from Eriskirch, also on Lake Constance.
Class with history
Within the nine skerry cruiser classes from 15 to 150 in Sweden, the 22s are among the most active and most sailed skerry cruisers. A total of over 400 yachts have been built since 1908. Swedish championships are held every year, and at the same time there is a fight for the oldest trophy in Swedish sailing history.
This challenge price was first donated in 1910 for the 30-ship skerry cruisers. In 1933, this trophy was then taken over by the 22-man archipelago cruiser and has been sailed every year since then. With this act, the actual upswing of the 22 square meter archipelago cruisers began with new builds and regattas at a high level. The class has national championship status, the class association is a member of the Swedish Sailing Association and ensures compliance with the class regulations.
Berlin color
The 22-square-meter archipelago cruisers on the Wannsee in Berlin had a very special story. After the First World War an international regatta activity was no longer allowed, the Berlin sailors sought connection to the neutral Baltic Sea countries. After an agreement with the Swedish Sailing Association at the time, regattas could again be held on archipelago cruiser classes from 1925. From 1928 to 1934, annual special races for 22-square-meter archipelago cruisers for the Max Gildemeister Memorial Prize were held on the Wannsee at the Potsdam Yacht Club. The multiple winner of this award was Dr. jur. James Bileski on G 36 "Pusteback" from the Berlin Sailing Club (BSC).
But fate was not in favor of him - he died of pneumonia in 1932. Because of his Jewish descent, his family had to flee from Germany to the US. The "Pusteback" stayed on the Wannsee. The boat survived the chaos of war and is now lying on Lake Constance. The current owner, Markus Mayer from the Yacht Club Langenargen, took over the US-based daughter of Dr. Bileski invited to Lake Constance. When she got on the ship, she told of many memories and how, as a young girl at the time, she spent many hours with her father on the Wannsee.
A beautiful and conciliatory story, and it goes on. Exactly 80 years later, after the last edition of the Max Gildemeister Memorial Prize in 1934, a new one starts with the first edition of a Eurocup in September 2014 on the Wannsee in Berlin. Adrian Schmidlin was elected Vice President of the NSK (National Archipelago Cruiser), a class association recognized by the DSV, in spring 2013 and is also chairman of the 22 archipelago cruisers.
Since August 2013 there has also been a communication platform for the 22 square meter archipelago cruisers at www.sk22.info.