The lasers represent the largest field
Only seven days after the Kiel Week it is in Warnemünde and trophies. 28 boat classes, over 300 starts on six lanes and 2000 sailors from 30 nations - these are the key dates of this year's Warnemünde Week from July 2nd to 10th.
The largest international field is the Olympic boat class Laser: With around 250 entries, they bring the Warnemünder Woche a record number of participants. The popularity of the star boat class is also great: at the district championships in the second half of the week, the previous Olympic and world champion in the Finn dinghy, Mateusz Kusznierewicz from Poland, is one of the favorites. Germany's top sailors compete in the German Open of the Bénéteau 25 and the German Cup of Yngling. The only downer of the event: the construction delay in the marina and residence Hohe Düne, which, however, does not lead to any restrictions for the sailors. A large part of the boats will be there for the first time.
The Rostock laser sailor Alexander Schlonski currently has a "run". Fifth at the Semaine Olympique in Hyéres, fifth at the Kieler Woche - the 25-year-old sports soldier from Rostock cannot be stopped and also wants to be at the forefront of the Laser Europa Cup from July 2nd to 5th in Warnemünde. The competition is fierce: with 250 starters from 24 nations, the largest field of the Warnemünde Week starts here. Also there was the reigning Central and South American champion and second of the Kiel Week, Matias del Solar from Chile and the fourth placed of the Kiel Week, Maciej Grabowski from Poland. "A challenge for the race committee", knows the sporting director of the event, JuttMohr.
The field in the women's Olympic boat class Laser Radial is also very well filled. With the newly crowned Kieler Woche winner Gintare Volungeviciute from Lithuania, who won last year in front of Warnemünde, Paige Railey from the US and the German PetrNiemann (10th Athens Olympic Games in Europe), the current top among the 50 starters is represented.
The women’s duel is also a Bahn Foxtrot: In the women's Olympic keelboat class Yngling, the ex-world champion Ines Pingel, born Bohn from Schwerin, meets ambitious competitors for a possible ticket for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games. Ulrike from Berlin Just like the third of the Yngling World Championships in 2004, Sharon Ferries from New Zealand, Schümann wants to sail for victory.
There will be a rendezvous for the sailing elite in the second half of the week, especially on Bahn Charlie with the star boats. For ten years they gave the waters off Warnemünde the cold shoulder and are now coming back with the district championships and a star line-up: the field of 25 boats is led by Mateusz Kusznierewicz from Poland. The multiple Olympic champion in the Finn Dinghy (gold in 1996 in Savanna, bronze in 2004 in Athens), two-time world and European champion, switched to the star in the post-Olympic year. Together with his compatriot Dominik Zycki, he already taught the competition to fear by winning the title at the Kiel Week. One of the greatest adversaries for Poland could be Alexander Hagen and Kai Falkenthal, who won the Star World Cup in 1997.
The dragons are part of the "regular cast"
The coaching coordinator of the German Sailing Association (DSV), Dr. Painted Philipp. Together with Torsten Imbeck and Ulrich Matthiesen, the 2001 kite world champion wants to put himself back in the limelight with kites.
Old hands will be at the German Open of Benétéau 25 from July 7th to 10th. Uwe Mares (63), sailing Olympic participant from 1972 and multiple European and world champion in Tempest, has hired son Kai (33). The father-and-son crew has been successfully sailing at the forefront for five years now and won the Kieler Woche 2005, among others. Among the 25 participants in the races of the 7.50 meter long boats, the second of the Kieler Woche: Mads Christensen from Denmark.
While the majority of the sailors are heading for the regatta courses from the middle mole again this year, the participants of the boat classes housed in Hohe Düne are testing the regatta suitability of the new marina opposite. "Of course we are not happy with the current situation in the Hohe Düne marina," admits the regatta director of the Warnemünde Week, Uwe Jahnke, frankly. But at the same time emphasizes that the sailors will not be affected by construction work during the event. The active participants will have a connection to the other venues of the Warnemünde Week by means of a shuttle service. Contrary to original plans, however, only twelve of the total of 29 boat classes start from the Hohe Düne marina. The beach camp on Warnemünder Strand also had to accept restrictions: Due to delivery problems, the participants cannot yet start on the new Neil Pryde RS-X Olympic board and will continue to be seen in the Mistral class.