IDM inshore gold to Flensburg and Denmark

Thus, the International German Inshore Championship for seagoing yachts ended with just one race on Tuesday. Crews in both groups learned that even this one race was enough to shatter their dreams of a title or medal. The IDM gold went to the Danish “Formula X” crew led by professional skipper Jesper Radich (Groups A+B) and to the Flensburg-based “Sydbank” of Torsten Bastiansen (Groups C+D).

Seebahn race director Stefan Kunstmann would have liked to offer the crews a more intensive program on the course than a race on the final day of the IDM. The anchor alone thwarted his plans. “We had already changed our position compared to Monday in order to have a better base. Nevertheless, the boat drifted after the start – at a speed of almost one knot,” reported Kunstmann. He thus ensured a correct finish from the dinghy. Rebuilding the course and re-anchoring the starting boat would have taken too much time, so Kunstmann ordered the fleet to port.

There, the teams were able to exchange their experiences on the dock. Jens Kuphal and his crew on the fresh XR41 “eXciter” had to report on a painful one. Up until the last buoy round, they were on course for the IDM silver medal. But in the middle of the gennaker maneuver, the jib shackle burst. The headsail rushed down and fell into the water, dashing all hopes. “In those conditions with 30 knots of wind, I didn’t want to pull anyone up the mast to catch the halyard,” said Kuphal. “It’s very annoying that we lost the medal due to the damage and a bad race. But that’s just how it is: sailing is a technical sport.” Instead of a podium finish, they ended up in fifth place.

Nevertheless, the Berliner drew many positive experiences from the IDM: “It was a great battle with the four identical XR41s. This promises to be exciting for the World Championship.” This time, the medals went to the sister ships of the “eXciter.” Gold went to the “Formula X” (Jesper Radich, Denmark), silver to the “WB IX” (Pietro Bianchi, Italy), and bronze to the “Dixi 5” (Erik Stannow, Denmark).

At the World Championships in Tallinn in August, “Formula X” will therefore be the benchmark. It delivered a convincing performance in the six races on the Kiel Fjord, landing four wins and two second places for a commanding overall victory. “The German Championship was an important step on our way to Tallinn,” said Jesper Radich, who has been sailing professionally for over 15 years. But this time, he has a special role with the XR41. “This is the first time I’ve worked so directly with the shipyard on a project. It’s great to see how my input has been implemented,” said Radich.

But he’s also receiving a lot of media attention. “I try not to let that put pressure on me, but rather use it as additional motivation.” He was very pleased with his team’s performance at Kiel Week: “That was a very good team effort. This is the second time we’ve sailed with the A-team, which is also on board for the World Championships. And it shows the high potential for development – ​​even if we’re not quite finished yet.”

Kræn B. Nielsen, CEO of X-Yachts, had high praise for Radich and his crew. He was the eleventh man on board for the Kiel Week: “We have a team with extensive experience and young Danish talent. It’s good to see how it all fits together. The challenge we’ve set ourselves is the World Championship. Winning gold there is our goal. But I expect a tough competition.” The target, however, is good, as in the fifth regatta since the project’s launch, the “Formula X” achieved its fifth victory.

There was a change at the top of the rankings in the final race in Group C+D. Torsten Bastiansen’s “Sydbank” managed to snag gold, narrowly relegating Patrik Forsgren’s Swedish “Garmin Team Pro4U” to second place. Following behind was “patent4” skippered by Oliver Voss.

Swedish spinnaker trimmer and strategist Thomas Tennström was somewhat disappointed that he had thrown away the chance for gold: “We had a false start, had to backtrack and lost two minutes. After that, we made a great comeback, but we couldn’t finish higher than fourth in the race. That cost us the title.” But the IDM was also strong preparation for the World Championships for the Swedish team: “The conditions were very different. Today alone we had winds between 15 and 32 knots. Good boat handling was required. We will now sail Runt Gotland and then it’s off to the World Championships. We want to compete for the title there, even though we are a purely amateur team,” said Tennström.

The third-placed “patent4” would have liked to have spent more racing time on the water. “It’s very frustrating that only one race was sailed each on Monday and Tuesday. Especially in these conditions, the crew and boat were strong. We could have done better with more races. We feel cheated out of the title fight,” said owner Jürgen Klinghardt. Although he couldn’t be on board due to an injury, he answered the disappointed call from his crew immediately after the signal for the end of all races. For the “patent4” – as well as for the “eXciter” in Group A+B – there is now a second chance at the title. After the opening Eel Regatta, the long-distance race for the Silver Ribbon on Thursday will see the IDM gold medal in the offshore discipline continue. 

Text and images courtesy of Kieler Week. Read more on the Kiel Week website.