Spectacular sailing action right on the Travemünde beach
At the end of the third VCR season, the beach in front of the casino will host the spectacular finale for the third time. The spectators in Travemünde are offered much more than just top-class sailing.
As in previous years, the organizers expect around 50,000 spectators on the four days of the event in 2005. In addition to the sporting reputation, the athletes from 13 countries are looking for victory and places in the overall classification and thus also for attractive prize money. The Volvo Champions Race is endowed with a total of 76,000 euros, making it one of the most lucrative events for tornado and 49er sailors.
The Danes Peder Ronholt and Mads Möller, the multiple Australian world champion Darren Bundock with his British sailboat Will Howden and Germany's most successful sailor of this Olympic class Roland Gäbler with the sailboat Gunnar Struckmann have the best prospects of overall victory in the tornadoes. Before the last event, these three teams are only separated from each other by one point in the overall ranking. "The racing format of the Volvo Champions Race is specially designed for spectators", Gäbler. "Short, crisp races (20 minutes), many maneuvers, tight buoy rounds, sudden capsizing, extreme dynamics and one or two crashes. And all of this right in front of the audience. On the tight regatta course, tight and spectacular situations occur every second."
So there is plenty of tension. But even the currently second best German team, Johannes Polgar and Florian Spalteholz, with currently fourth place, can at least hope for one of the better prize money. In any case, the shape curve clearly points upwards. At the World Championships in LRochelle, France, Polgar / Spalteholz took an excellent fourth place and at the European Championships in August they came in seventh - one place behind Gäbler / Struckmann.
In the 49ers, two teams are tied at the top after two events: Peter and Sören Hansen, the overall VCR winners of 2003, and the young Austrians Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch. Only one point behind, the Athens Olympic runner-up, the Ukrainian Rodion Luka, is third. In Travemünde, however, he will probably have to do without his ancestral crew, George Leonchuk. So in this class, too, there is a dramatic finale ahead. So far, the two best German teams have remained a little below expectations. Marcus Baur and Max Groy, three-time European champions and last year overall winner of the VCR, are in fifth place after two events. Jan Peter and Hannes Peckolt, third overall in 2004, follow in sixth place. However, both teams have performed so well in recent months that a leap forward seems realistic. At the “Semaine Olympique” in Hyères, France, they finished 1st and 2nd. At the European Championships in Denmark in August, the Peckolt brothers even won the bronze medal and thus qualified for the A-team
The regattas of both classes will start on Friday, September 9th, 2005 at 2 pm. The last races will start on Sunday, September 11th, at 10.30 a.m. The big award ceremony right on the beach is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Live on TV Norddeutsche Rundfunk will broadcast the races across Europe on N3. The races are recorded from more than ten camera angles. Ultralight onboard cameras will be installed on the top three teams in each class. The TV viewer on board is there up close and can follow every maneuver directly. The original sound should also be broadcast live directly from the ship. An additional graphic should show the course of the race. The broadcast times are:Saturday, September 10th, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, September 11th, 11.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. David against Goliath - the unequal sailing duelOn the day before the official regattas, the multiple tornado world champion Darren Bundock provides a very special opening. He and Will Howden face a very special challenge in the Volvo Cup: the duel between David and Goliath or better said Volvo Champions Racer versus Volvo Ocean Racer. In this spectacular event, which also creates a tension arc for the next Volvo Ocean Race, which will be started in November 2005 in Vigo, Spain, “Bundy” takes the battle across the Baltic Sea with his crew in the tornado against the last Volvo Ocean Race winner, the former “Illbruck” and today's “aROSA”. The route is 72 nautical miles long and leads from Kiel via Fehmarn to Travemünde. The start is at 9.30 a.m. in Kiel, the arrival of the two opponents in Travemünde is scheduled for around 4.30 p.m. What initially looks like an unequal duel could well turn into an exciting race. The VO60 yacht (weighing 13,500 kilograms) was the fastest monohull in the world for a long time and thanks to its 19.50 meter length, a 29 meter high mast and various sails from 35 square meters (storm sails) to 135 square meters (reacher for downwind courses), it shines to have 300 square meters of cloth (spinnaker) insurmountable advantages. But the 6 meter long tornado with a mast height of 10 meters and a sail area of 24 square meters only weighs 165 kilograms and is the much more agile boat. Darren Bundock on his chances: “The more wind, the better for the big yacht. But if the wind often comes from the side, we can exploit the advantages of our boat. "
A cat like a sports carBut another sailing attraction awaits the spectators in Travemünde: the German premiere of the Volvo Extreme 40. This 40-foot catamaran will be used as part of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR). During the stopover of the VOR, the toughest offshore sailing regatta in the world, these new cats will hold their races in special harbor regattas. Several top international sailors were involved in the project of the new boat class: the Englishman Derek Clark, project manager of the GBR America’s Cup team, designer Yves Loday, gold medalist from Barcelon1992, Mitch Booth, two-time Olympic medalist and Herbert Dercksen, the idea behind the campaign. A Volvo Extreme 40 weighs 1,250 kilograms, the mast is 62 feet high and has 125 or 220 square meters of sail area. Skipper Mitch Booth on his first impressions: “This Kat is like a sports car. He is quick, easy to act and responds instantly. Really impressive.”By the way, Booth and Dercksen are old friends at the Volvo Champions Race and will of course also be at the start in Travemünde
Entertainment program for the whole family In addition to the sailing highlights, spectators at the Volvo Champions Race Final can also look forward to an attractive entertainment program for the whole family - all with free admission, of course. The Volvo Race Village will open on Thursday, September 8th at 12 noon and in the afternoon the active ones will start the free practice. After the arrival of the Volvo Cup participants, there will be a come together in the large event tent in the early evening. A DJ ensures the best entertainment
The first warm-up races take place on Friday mornings and from noon onwards, things really get going on the beach in front of the casino. A moderator keeps the audience up to date. A children's program has been created for the younger visitors. The entertainment for juggling is one of the attractions. The children (but also adults) can try a variety of juggling equipment. Various methods are used under professional guidance and afterwards (almost) everyone can do tricks that can otherwise only be seen in the circus. Face painting for children is also on the program. That does not mean dots or hearts on the nose, but top-quality make-up is the order of the day. The young animators are absolute artists and conjure up original cats elements on the face or transform little visitors into star queens. The make-up professionals have even created entire underwater landscapes. At 2 p.m. sharp, the first official races in the two Olympic boat classes Tornado and 49er will start. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. there is a happy hour and music from the DJ. From 8 p.m., two live bands will appear one after the other. First Still Collins, which showcase the greatest successes of two decades of Genesis and the superstar Phil Collins. From 10.30 p.m. LIVINMusic Family offers soul party music from Motown classics to current hits. The band members sang and played with pop greats like Sarah Connor and the Fantastischen Vier.
Saturday starts at 10 a.m. with the continuation of the races. The children's program is offered from lunchtime until the evening starts slowly at 6 p.m. with happy hour. It starts at 8 p.m. with the Jenni Williams Group, who heats up the mood with energetic funk rock, before the great musical fireworks display a visual highlight at 10.45 p.m. From 11 p.m. Mayqueen present the greatest successes of the cult group Queen.
The final races, which decide on victory and placement, will take place on Sunday from 10.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The little ones will be entertained from 11 a.m. and at lunchtime, a spectacular skydiving show will shorten the time until the official award ceremony at 3:30 p.m.