The traditional sailors start regatta at the 18th Hanse Sail Rostock
The 76 meter long "Stad Amsterdam" won the traditionally rigged ships with a lead of a good 30 minutes. Her early start and the associated time penalty of 15 minutes were no longer significant. A larger starting field prevented the rough external conditions.
As in previous years, the schooner brig "Greif" (41 meters long) fought head-to-head with the Swedish brigantine "Baltic Beauty" (40 meters long). The "Greif" decided the duel with a one minute lead. The Greifswald ship has never missed a Hanse Sail and won the traditional sailing regatt in 2005 and 2006.
"With rain and a choppy sea, we had regatta weather where sailing is no fun at all," sums up regatta director Uwe Jahnke from the Warnemünder Segelclub. In the sunshine, the three traditionally rigged sailors took off on Saturday at exactly 12 noon. Shortly afterwards, the Dutch clipper "StellMaris" entered the race as a one-master. The wind was blowing from the west with strengths of 5 to 6 Beaufort.
In total, only four ships took part in the course over around ten nautical miles. Eleven traditional sailors had registered in the early hours of the morning. As far as the orange turning buoy, it went north and back to Warnemünde. The former flagship of the Hamburg water police "Elbe 1" accompanied the regatta events as the start and finish ship. The motor launch with its blue hull is now a museum ship.
The evaluation of the wholesale market at the 18th Hanse Sail turned out to be positive despite the bad weather: "All in all, we are satisfied," says Heiko Lange, store manager of the Rostock wholesale market. "The Hanse Sail market in the city harbor was very well attended." Here, too, the weather played a major role. Especially with the sun-cloud mix on Saturday - the main day of the Hanse Sail - the external conditions were okay. "The mood among the stand owners is good," says Lange. "Of course, the numbers at the dealers vary depending on the goods on offer. But the rides were well used and the beer and snack area went very well."
Despite the good figures, the evaluation of the wholesale market is critical compared to the previous year. "You can see that it is getting more difficult," says Heiko Lange. "Overall costs are increasing and the purchasing behavior of visitors is deteriorating." However, as long as the number of participants in the ships and their capacity utilization remain so good, Lange sees no problems for the market. "Above all, the high frequency on the stages enlivens the event and of course the surrounding stands." In his opinion, the wholesale market at the 19th Hanse Sail can take place in the usual form.