GSGP: Epilogue Aug 8, 13:30
[Updated Wed 0915 -- with additional photos thanks to Michael Paege whose family was a guest of our team on Sunday. See his comment (below) for nice remarks about the event, and a link to even more photos by Herr Paege.]
This morning the webmaster for our main team site, Roland Neubauer (GER), drew my attention to the very nice pics of the German Sailing Grand Prix now posted in the photo gallery section of that site. Click here to see the as always excellent shots by Gilles Martin-Raget from each of the four days in Kiel.
Also, Roland has posted a "making of" story about the Kiel event, and the efforts expended by Mirko Groeschner and the rest of our marketing department, along with Shosho's and UTIG's. Well deserved nice ink.
What I want to know is who had the direkt link with the weather gods? Just look at the clear blue skies we had again on Sunday....
Final race on Sunday: a no-points "Thank You Kiel" exhibition match
between RSA 48 and USA 71. Click above to see a brief slide show of
the spectacular jibing dual into the finish line. There's audio (narration),
too.
This morning the webmaster for our main team site, Roland Neubauer (GER), drew my attention to the very nice pics of the German Sailing Grand Prix now posted in the photo gallery section of that site. Click here to see the as always excellent shots by Gilles Martin-Raget from each of the four days in Kiel.Also, Roland has posted a "making of" story about the Kiel event, and the efforts expended by Mirko Groeschner and the rest of our marketing department, along with Shosho's and UTIG's. Well deserved nice ink.
What I want to know is who had the direkt link with the weather gods? Just look at the clear blue skies we had again on Sunday....
)
Mayor Volkquartz firing the starting gun for Sunday's first race. We learned during the regatta that Mayor Volkquartz has a lot of energy and enthusiam. Indeed, she can be a real pistol at times. That's our team's GSGP project manager "Pope" Benedict Horber (GER, marketing department) on her left.
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"Room to tack!" Just after the start of the fleet race the action was tight up against the western shore of the Fjord where the spectators were located.
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The fleet racing course on Sunday was action packed: four-leg windward-leeward (two laps) with only 1.5 mile legs.
)
UITG's regatta ended Sunday with the unfortunate breaking of
their forestay during the match with our guys. However, the
German team averted a disaster -- a broken mast -- by rapidly
rigging spinnaker and jib halyards to the bow in lieu of the
forestay and lowering the main.
their forestay during the match with our guys. However, the
German team averted a disaster -- a broken mast -- by rapidly
rigging spinnaker and jib halyards to the bow in lieu of the
forestay and lowering the main.
)
Again on Sunday hundreds of spectator boats of all sizes and types followed the racing, all of which was run inside the narrow confines of the Kiel Fjord to the delight of the tens of thousands of spectators lining the shore.
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Apparently not wanting to be upstaged by the spectators, the action in the Fjord was also surrounded by thousands of jellyfish of the non-stinging variety -- luckily for the Shosholoza crewman, who went overboard during Sunday's racing.
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Our Sunday match with Shosholoza thrilled the shoreside crowd. On Monday morning the papers said up to 150,000 people had attended the four-day event. That may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but without doubt there were tens of thousands. Photo courtesy of Michael Paege.
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Fantastiche! Photo courtesy of Michael Paege.
Final race on Sunday: a no-points "Thank You Kiel" exhibition match
between RSA 48 and USA 71. Click above to see a brief slide show of
the spectacular jibing dual into the finish line. There's audio (narration),
too.
)
After the final match with Shosho, our team did a "flyby" down the western shore of the Fjord to thank the enthusiastic spectators. Photo courtesy of Michael Paege.
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Then it was time to dock-in. Driving Chase 2, Capt Craig Christensen (NZL, head of support boat ops), gets 71 on a sidetow to back them into the yacht dock along the promenade where spectators were crammed ten deep. You can see Rodney Ernst (USA, head electron), far right, already at work dismantling the comms and TV gear on the back of the yacht so Scotty "Leroy" Sanford (NZL, logisitics), far left in the bow of Chase 2, and the other members of our shore team can get 71 quickly unrigged and towed around to the Knierem Shipyard for transport out of Kiel. Photo courtesy of Michael Paege.
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Suffice to say it was a beautiful, exciting and, for
some, relaxing scene. Photo courtesy of Michael
Paege.
some, relaxing scene. Photo courtesy of Michael
Paege.
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15 minutes after docking in the teams were onstage for the perfekt prizegiving ("short and sharp" is how Sue Dickson later described it) in front several thousand people -- a bigger turnout and more exhuberant ceremony than we have seen for several of the Acts and a number of previous America's Cups for that matter. Photo courtesy of Michael Paege.
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Peter Harry Carstensen, Ministerpräsident for the state of Schleswig-Holstein welcomed and congratulated the Mayoress, organizers and all three teams. SH is Germany's northern-most state and lies on the base of the peninsula of Jutland between the Baltic and the North Seas. Kiel is on the Baltic, and the Kieler Canal between the two seas is one of the busiest man-made waterways in the world.
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Dicko and the rest of the sailing team on stage with the Ministerpräsident, the Mayoress and other officials. Moments later (note the big green bottle in Tony Kolb's hands, left of center)...
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...they were being douched with Moet. Capt Craig seems to be leading the way, though there were others happily involved. Jann Neergaard (DEN, sailing team), Tim Hacket (NZL, shoreteam manager) in his blue team shirt, Max "Hello" Hollerl (AUT, marketing team) and the Mayoress get the brunt of Craig's champagne hosing.
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Tony Kolb (GER, sailing team) holds the GSGP championship prize aloft to the delight of the several thousand who remained after the racing for the prizegiving.
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The sailing team threw their hats into the crowd to wild cheers, especially from those who managed to catch one.
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One of the nice touches lent to the proceedings by Bruno Trouble: inviting local Optimist sailors to sit on the stage during the prizegiving, and giving them a prime position for getting autographs afterwards.
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There were winners on the water and off: a delighted Chris Dickson led our team to victory, and the Mayoress who could not have been more pleased or proud with the event and the job done by all connected with it in "Kiel Sailing City."
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After the prizegiving the sailing team were swamped for autographs. Above, Rod Dawson (NZL, strategist/weather) Stu Clarke (NZL, aft grind/pit assist) takes careful aim with his pen. With thanks to the sharp-eyed anonymous commentor for setting us straight (see below).
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Executives in Charge: Shosholoza's Lars Boeking (GER), UITG's Michael Scheeren (GER) and our Mirko Groeschner (GER, marketing director) soon after the event ended Sunday afternoon -- looking a bit more relaxed than they had in several weeks.
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Even Bruno Trouble (FRA, Louis Vuitton media center) got into the German swing of things after the terrific prizegiving ceremony which he orchestrated Sunday afternoon. They'll love this picture in Paris -- and Valencia.
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Zuruck: Some of the beautiful "Kiel Klassic" powerboats that
served as VIP spectator boats lined up at the dock after Sunday's
racing. Many were saying this regatta was a classic, and one
would not be at all surprised if America's Cup racing returns to
Kiel sooner than later.
served as VIP spectator boats lined up at the dock after Sunday's
racing. Many were saying this regatta was a classic, and one
would not be at all surprised if America's Cup racing returns to
Kiel sooner than later.
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Most of the team left Kiel very early Monday morning for the 90-minute run down the A7 to Hamburg airport and flights home. The team was nicely accommodated at the Hotel Steigenberger, which was rather more quiet when this picture was taken Monday morning than it had been the previous five days.
Kiel | by TFE
