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24 August 2005, 12:17 pm

Light Winds Provide A Calm End to the Swan Race

Rolex Baltic Week 2005

Neustadt, Germany

Very light and variable winds were predominant on the fourth day of the Rolex Baltic Week 2005. For the Dragon World Championships and the Swan Race, the breeze was insufficient, so the boats returned to the dock. The IMS 600 yachts, however, spent eleven hours out on the water and sailed four short and tricky races. The Norwegian Al Cap One III with skipper Einar SISSENER emerged as the new leader overall.

It was not really good day for the German crews. The IMX-40 Moonshine skippered Matthias BLUMENCRON (GER), remains the best local team although they slipped from second to fifth place overall. Finishing on ranks nine, eight, twelve and seven, they were sharing their bad luck with a couple of other crews. 'Within this top fleet, we're all going up and down shuffling places,' said Blumencron, 'we have made a couple of tactical mistakes and had to pay for them.' They are still on thier target of finishing the regatta among the five best teams.

The best-placed yacht after the long-distance race, Imagine skippered by Peter RUDBÄCK (SWE) dropped to third. She was overtaken not only by the Norwegians who were the winners of the day. The Italian Movistar skippered by Lorenzo BRESSANI with Spanish sailing idol Pedro CAMPOS at the helm used a bullet in the last race to also overtake Imagine.

'This race day had it all,' reported Boris HEPP, chief measurer of the German Sailing Association. At first, the start had been postponed due to the calm. Then the first race only just finished inside the time limit. 'The crews fought hard especially at the starting line' reported HEPP.

Bobby LUCHTE (GER) was lucky enough to fasten the Rolex timepiece on his wrist. The owner of the Swan 44 MKII Moriju won the Swan Race presented by Deutsche Bank, and he received a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date. Last year's winner Claus BRESSLER (GER), whose Swan 56 Chrila had slipped the day before after started with three wins, had no luck with the final race. The wind died on him as on all the 72 teams of the Hanseatic Lloyd Dragon World Championships. While the Swans finished for good yesterday, two races are scheduled for the Dragons on Wednesday 24 August to make up for the race cancelled so far.

Andreas Kling