North Sea Race revival

Fleet growing for next week's offshore race

One week remains until North Sea Week, Germany’s only offshore regatta starts. Around 150 yachts are expected on the island of Helgoland, while so far 134 yachts have already registered, among them Admiral's Cup winner Tilmar Hansen with his new yacht Outsider.

The regatta will be an offshore-sailors’ festival, with racing in the waters off the North Sea island of Helgoland. “Normally there are always some crews that register after the ordinary entry is closed, that’s why we expect approximately 150 participating yachts”, explains Marcus Boehlich of the organiser’s office. Registrations are possible until the day before the particular regatta, albeit with an additional charge of 50 per cent.

Among the 134 participants that have registered already are some very interesting yachts. There will be thrilling competition in the IMS class. Last year’s winner Christian Plump with his Rodman 42 Hanseatic Lloyd will be competing again to defend his title. Among his competitors is the new Norddeutsche Vermoegen Hamburg, an Andrews 56, Unique (formerly Hans-Otto Schuemann’s Rubin), a 15m One-Off designed by Judel/Vrolijk.

Eagerly expected and racing for the first time in Germany, is Tilmar Hansen’s newly bought Elliot 45 Outsider. Hansen won the Admiral's Cup with the German team in 1983 and 1985 with his yachts New Yorker and Outsider. His new Outsider was built in New Zealand, has already won the Melbourne-Osaka Race. She will be racing at the North Sea Week in the ORC-class.

“We want to have fun. The yacht is not built for the measurement business, but for speed”, explains Hansen, who established the New Yorker clothes brand in the 1980s and who is making his first return to the race after some years. “The North Sea Week has always been the highlight of the year to us. In order to join the race circuit again, I gathered my former companions for this project. It’s almost like the Blues Brothers story”, he says, smiling.

On Friday, 13 May, the North Sea Week starts in Hamburg. Whoever wants to participate on the tidal water has to get up early: To use the tide, the first regatta from Hamburg to Cuxhaven starts already at 6am in Hamburg/Wedel.

Around 35 yachts will start for the long-distance race (approx. 400 nm) to Edinburgh on Monday 16 May.