Kieler Woche: ISAF Sailing World Cup is coming home

The world’s elite of Olympic sailing will be meeting for the 127 years old Kieler Woche (20-28 June). A total of seven top athletes of ISAF Sailing World Cup (SWC) ranking list have entered for Kiel to defend or improve their placings. Among them, gold medallist Anna Tunicliffe (USA/ Laser radial/2008) and Paul Goodison (GBR/Laser) as well as the British Star boat sailors Ian Percy/Andrew Simpson. “Even if after an Olympic year many sailors taking it easy, new crews setting up or others completely finishing as the Peckholt brothers, entry lists still reflecting not only quantity but also high quality”, says Jobst Richter, Chairman of Kieler Woche Race Committee who presented a “Kieler Woche of highlights” at the press conference in the newly restored Kiel Yacht-Club-Hotel.

Besides the ISAF Sailing World Cup which after five regattas in Australia, USA and Europe makes a stopover in Kiel until the finals will take place in Weymouth/Great Britain (venue of the Olympic sailing races in 2012) in September, Kieler Woche has even more to offer: three high class international championships (the X-35 Worlds, the X-41 Europeans and the SAP Europeans of the 505), the debut of the new Olympic women’s class Elliott 6m and the virtual Kieler Woche online are the highlights of this year’s Kieler Woche which again brings together all varieties of the sport from cutter sailing to surfboard, dinghy, offshore yacht up to the integration of disabled sailors and the famous windjammer parade.

On the starting line: three times gold and a German youngster

ISAF Sailing World Cup (SWC) brought to life and presented in Kiel last year will without a doubt be this year’s sporting highlight during Kieler Woche. The cup comes back and the sailing world is looking at Kiel where for the first time also the new Olympic boat class “Elliott 6m“ will be hosted within the event. A total of 22 crews from 11 nations have entered. Lucy Macgregor (USA) in the leading position of ISAF SWC ranking list, second placed Mary Rook (GBR) as well as Australian Katie Spithill and Olympic-Fourth Ulrike Schümann who finished second at ISAF SWC in Medemblik/Netherlands, are well-known favourites. But besides the Schümann-crew and the experienced match race sailor Silke Hahlbrock (6th place at the Worlds 2008), a third german crew is fighting for match race recognition: Svenja and Janika Puls together with Nele-Marie Bock. Already last year in Kiel Svenja Puls indicated her interest in match racing which the 24 years old medical student is now about to realise. “We are practising a lot together and have put the main emphasis on sailing rather than our studies“, said Svenja Puls who is also a very successful Europe-sailor (World Champion in 2007, winner of YES/Kiel in 2008 and 2009). For her and her sister Janika, a 21 years economical engineering student who sailed last year´s Kieler Woche in Laser radial, the spinnaker is still not the most familiar sail onboard. That is why experienced J24-sailor Nele-Marie Bock (24 yrs) is part of the team. “There is still a lot to learn but we are making progress“, remarks Janika Puls.

Together with the other Olympic disciplines the womens’ match race will also already begin on Friday, 19 June with a practise race. First start will then be on Saturday at 11 am. All Olympic classes will be racing until Wednesday, 24 June. From Thursday, 25 June until Sunday, 28 June the International classes will be on the starting line. Offshore races will take place from 20-28 June.

Stars in the Starboat – German fleet is on its way

Besides match race other classes as Laser radial, Laser, Finn and Star have a strong field of competitors in Kiel as well. Best chances of winning in the Laser radial class should have gold medallist (Qingdao/2008) Anna Tunicliffe (USA). As current leader of the SWC ranking list she will compete against second placed Tina Mihelic (CRO) as well as third placed Raily Paige (USA). In the Laser class gold medallist (Qingdao/2008) Paul Goodison will be meeting SWC first placed Nic Thompson (both GBR). Finn-sailor Edward Wight (GBR) not only in the leading position of the SWC ranking list but also winner of Kieler Woche 2008 will be sailing against silver medallist (Qingdao/2008) Railey Zack (USA) and silver medallist (Athens/2004) Rafael Trujillo (ESP) who also finished last year’s Kieler Woche as second.

As every year in the Star class it will be a reunion of the best. Due to the European Championship taking place in Kiel two weeks later, the Star-elite will be in Kiel for three weeks. Olympic Champion Ian Percy/Andrew Simpson (GBR), leader of the SWC ranking list Xavier Rohart/Pierre Alexis Ponsot (FRA/bronze medal 2004), Andrew Macdonald/Brian Faith (USA/second of SWC ranking list) as well as European Champion Marc Mendelblatt/Marc Strube (USA) - all entered at an early stage. The twofold gold medallist Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada (BRA), the Swedes Fredrik Lööf and Johann Tillander (bronze 2008) might be joining the group of competitors. Also the strong German fleet has hopes to finish successfully: Alexander Schlonski/Frithjof Kleen (NRV/third of SWC in Medemblik/Netherlands), European Champion of 2008 Robert Stanjek/Markus Koy (Berlin/Hamburg/NRV), youngsters Johannes Babendererde/Timo Jacobs (Lübeck/NRV), Matthias Miller/Benedikt Wenk (Constance/VSaW) as well as the new constellation of Olympic participant (Tornado) Johannes Polgar and America’s Cup participant Tim Kröger (Hamburg/NRV).

Kieler Woche giants chasing Findel/Tellen

Highlight of the International Part of Kieler Woche is the SAP 505 European Championship and the contest between Kieler Woche giants Wolfgang Hunger (Germany) and Jörgen Bojsen-Möller (Denmark) who have both won the Kieler Woche trophy 16 times by now. At YES during Withsun in Kiel, which is said to be the final rehearsal for Kieler Woche, Jan Saugmann/Morten Ramsbaek (DEN/World Champion 2007) finished the regatta as first, belonging to a group of high-class “Fiven”. That is also where Jens Findel and Johannes Tellen (Kiel) are counting to. The 28 years old are currently the measure of all things especially when it comes to speed. “I don´t like it when I don´t get a boat going“, says Hunger who exchanged main and spinnaker to reach the speed of Findel. “At the moment he is sailing faster than anyone else“, states Hunger who has already experienced this phenomenon on Lake Garda. You got close to everyone else but no one had reached the speed of Findel yet. No wonder that everyone had a good look at Findel´s boat and sails. “That is no problem in our class. That is what we allow each other“, says Findel. Material is one thing but the head another. And at the moment everything was fine with him, said Findel about his formula of success.

X-classes: Soyka series 7-5-3

The X-35 World Championship during Kieler Woche is hosting a strong field. After the European Championship in 2008 where 16 x-yachts were fighting for the title, a total of 31 yachts from 10 different nations have entered for this year’s regatta. Besides Briton Marc Richmond and his “Cool Running“ (silver at Worlds 2007/bronze at Europeans 2008) the German x-yachts are facing strong competition from Italy. For Christian Soyka who has been on the starting line in Kiel with his “Immac-X“ for the last three years it is more than clear: After the seventh place at the Worlds in 2007 and a fifth at the Europeans in 2008 is now consequently following a third at the Worlds 2009. To realise this, the current X-99 World Champion got his X-35 ready for racing just in time.

Following its little sister’s wake, the X-41 fleet will also be coming to Kiel in order to determine their European Champion on racing area Alpha. Among the ten X´s coming from six nations are “König&Cie“(Horsch/Hamburg) and “Extasy“ who will be representing the German colours.

press release Kieler Woche