Beluga Sailing Team Is The New European Champion

Beluga Sailing Team Is The New European Champion
Beluga Sailing Team Is The New European Champion

Video: Beluga Sailing Team Is The New European Champion

Video: Beluga Sailing Team Is The New European Champion
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European Champion: The "BelugSailing Team"

Christian Plump and his BelugSailing Team won the ORCi European Championship in Ystad, Sweden. Despite difficult wind conditions, the team was able to secure the title in the offshore premier class.

"I am very proud of the performance of my crew," said the helmsman and team boss after the award ceremony. "Our goal was a place on the podium, but the wind conditions did not make it easy for us, so this success should be rated even higher."

The BelugSailing Team, which took third place at the European Championships last year, had to fight until the end. Before the last day of racing, it was still in fourth place. “This starting position was not perfect, but we had a chance and we took it.” The strategy was quite simple: “I told my crew that we would look for the free space to be able to expand our speed to the full, and we want to stay out of aggressive duels. After a previously lost protest, I didn't want to take any further risks. Our goal was to win the races on the water and not at the jury table,”said Christian Plump.

Three races were scheduled for the last race day, of which the BelugSailing Team was able to win the first two. Now the team was only separated by a very thin gap of just 0.7 points from the leading Ralf Aspholm, who won the European championship last year with his Swedish yacht DataCom. In the last and thus all decisive race, the BelugSailing Team only had to stay ahead of the direct competition in order to achieve the overall victory. And this goal could be achieved with flying colors with another win of the day. “It was pretty nerve-wracking, but we continued with our strategy. The crew did a great job and stayed really cool."

The nerves were still quite tense before the European Championship. Because in winter the BelugSailing team had numerous modifications made to the Rodman 42 in order to optimize it with regard to the measurement formula ORC International (ORCi). The conversions should pay off, especially in medium and strong wind conditions. “However, there was no wind, so we couldn't take full advantage of the advantages at the regattas in Germany,” explains Christian Plump, who despite all this leads the German ORCi 1 rankings. The predictions for the EM in southern Sweden did not give a good idea either. Several high pressure areas over Northern Europe heralded a literal lull regattan. “We really went to Ystad with hanging heads,” admits the newly crowned European champion.

Fortunately, the predictions were not entirely confirmed: "With wind speeds of more than 11 knots, we were finally able to sail out our new keel, so that the advantages were clearly apparent for the first time." Not to forget the performance of the crew, made up of experienced regular members and international Professional sailors - a good and harmonious mix. With the Dane Morten Hendriksen, Christian Plump had brought on board an experienced tactician who knew the regatta area well and had already contested numerous successful regattas with the BelugSailing Team. Apart from that, the team boss also relies on the next generation of sailing enthusiasts. Since this season, 19-year-old Hendrik Conradi has also been part of the regular crew, whose father was involved in the construction of the Belug. "For years we have been building up young sailors at an early stage so that we can also start with a competitive and motivated team in the future."

The cooperation with the team partners, in particular with the Bremen project and heavy lift shipping company BelugShipping GmbH, world market leader in the field of "Project & Heavy Lift", with which the BelugSailing team has been cooperating since the beginning of 2007, once again made a decisive contribution to the success of the sailing project. Christian Plump: "It makes us particularly happy when we were able to meet Beluger's expectations again this year".

Further information and pictures: www.beluga-sailing-team.de

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