Press release 71 WARNEMUENDER WOCHE 6 July 2008
First winners at WARNEMUENDER WOCHE
Sailing week and festival in full swing
Great sailing conditions marked the start of the 71st WARNEMUENDER WOCHE in Germany. More people than ever came to follow the sunny offbeat on the first weekend. 200 000 visitors watched the racing and shore entertainment. More than 1000 sailors from 30 nations started their competition in light winds. Karl Purdie from New Zealand won the pre-world series in OK class.
He slowly lifts his light blue boat up the ramp in Warnemuende: Karl Purdie from Wellington/New Zealand is seemingly satisfied with his new baby, as he could just leave all competitors behind during the three-day pre-worlds of the OK class. The 42 year old OK sailor starts in his new boat built by Icebreaker in Auckland and underlined his title ambitions during these series. Three more “Kiwis” complete the top ranking, with Alistair Davis becoming second, Luke O’Connell third and Steve Mc Dowell fourth. 63-year old Joergen Lindhardtsen from Denmark is the first to breaks the streak, ending the series of seven races on rank five. The current world champion Nick Craig from Great Britain started late into the pre-series and could not end among the top ten. But the three-time world champion is a highly rated favourite for the title. On Monday, the official opening of the Ok worlds will be held before racing gets serious on Tuesday on Warnemuende’s course Bravo.
Warnemuende winners have been honoured in the 505 class as well: Erik Heil and Sebastian Salein from Berlin, Germany could place themselves in front of the current German vice champions Lutz Stengel and Frank Feller. “It seems we always become second”, said Fellmer not too unhappy. “Erik and Sebastian have really been better today”, said the helmsman, hoping for a revenge during the 505- Europe Cup in Travemuende in two weeks time.
Only half of the series are done for the Laser Europe Cup sailors. After four races (one discard) Jean Baptiste Bernaz from France leads the fleet of 70 starters followed by Valeriy Kydryahov from Ukraine. Third on the list is the Canadian Mike Leigh with just one point behind. Racing in the Laser Europe Cup continues until Tuesday.
In the Olympic 470 class the Australian team Sam Kievell/Max Taylor lead the series after six races, followed by the German team Morten Bogacki and his new crew Nils Schroeder. Third place take Jan Wagner and Lennart Scheufler from Berlin. The class will finish racing on Monday. Principle race officer Dirk Kaiser was truly satisfied with the first weekend: “We had a dream start, even though the wind was a little weak in the end. All sailors came back from the water with a grin, that’s how we want the week to continue”, he said.
On Monday morning the chase for the record Round Bornholm begins. This year, nearly 70 yachts are registered for the 270-mile long distance race, which leads around the Danish island of Bornholm and back to Warnemuende. Four different groups will start from 9 a.m. on. In the afternoon at 2 p.m. a group of faster racing yachts will take off to chase the fleet. Among them the two VOR 60’s “Rostocker” and Glashäger”, as well as the reichl/Pugh 57 “Scho-ka-kola”, a DK 46 “Tutima” and “Utsider” the Elliott 45 formerly known as “Outsider.
The record was set in 2001 by “UCA” with 28 hours, 37 minutes und 23 seconds. The first yachts are expected to finish Tuesday night.
Preview for Monday 7 July
Eight classes start on eight different courses on Monday (420s, 470er,
Laser, Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, Streamline, Kielzugvogel, Dyas).
The classes 420, 470 and Streamline end their racing on Monday.
In addition, 70 offshore yachts start in front of the marina to sail the Bornholm Rund Race. The OK class will not sail on Monday. It is measurement day, before the OK world championship begins. The opening ceremony of the worlds will take place at 6 p.m.
Schedule, results and further Information: www.warnemuender-woche.com
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