German AC christening

GER-89 to be officially splashed on the 24 April

It will be another important milestone in the young history of the German America's Cup campaign: The first America's Cup yacht to be built and finished in Germany with the sail number GER-89 will be christened on Monday, 24 April 2006, in Kiel.

'Godmother' will be Eva Luise Köhler, spouse of the German President Horst Köhler und thus the country's First Lady. Together with Ralph Dommermuth, CEO of the United Internet AG, the first German America's Cup campaign's main sponsor, she will wish the high-tech yacht and the United Internet Team Germany all the best for successful racing in the 32nd America's Cup.

"We feel very honoured that Eva Luise Köhler has agreed to act as 'godmother' for our new yacht," says Michael Scheeren, head of syndicate with United Internet Team Germany. "With her outstanding social commitment, she is also an important personality in the world of sports. The fact that the President's spouse will christen our new boat underlines the importance that the first German campaign in the 155-year old history of the America's Cups has for sailing in Germany."

Kiel was chosen as a location for the christening, which confirms the important role of the city for the United Internet Team Germany. In 2005, the team had installed its home base-camp in the capital of the Schleswig-Holstein. And it was Kiel's Lord Mayoress Angelika Volquartz who had christened the training boat GER-72 last summer in Valencia before the boat was first sailed in the regattas.

Regarding the new yacht, Kiel is not only the place where the boat will be christened, but also her 'place of birth', as GER-89 is currently being constructed at the Knierim-Yachtbau shipyard on Kiel Canal.

For the United Internet Team Germany, the christening will be a welcome break in the on-going preparations for Act 10, the pre-regatta that will start in Valencia on 11 May. However, the new boat will not be used in this years Act's, which the German team plans to still sail on GER-72. The idea is to start testing the new GER-89 immediately after the Acts in July und thus kick off the final preparations and the required fine-tuning for the 2007 America's Cup season.