After two days of great racing at the 2022 5.5 Metre German Open at the Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup at Flensburger Segel Club, the event ended on somewhat of an anticlimax on Sunday, with no sailing possible due to light winds.
The Flensburger Segel Club race management all weekend has been flawless and the decision to abandon for the day was decisively taken at 09.30 to allow everyone to pack and get on the road early. After superb conditions on Saturday, an overnight rainstorm left a damp Glücksberg and an extremely light and shifting breeze in place with almost zero prospects of it improving before the 14.30 cut off time.
The title was already going to Norway, with Artemis (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Christen Horn Johannessen) winning four of the seven races sailed in what is a relatively new boat for him. In just over a week he will be defending the world title at his home club in Hankø, Norway.
Second place New Moon II (BAH 24, Modern, Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov) had their chances this week and will be a strong contender in Hankø. MF XXII (SUI 232, Modern, Jürg Menzi-Schmid, Jürgen Eiermann, Andreas Honegger) took third on equal points with New Moon II after an extremely consistent series with five second places.
The timing and venue of the 5.5 Metre German Open was planned to attract boats on their way to Norway, and many are leaving their boats here for a week before coming back next weekend to continue the trip north to Hankø.
The world championship, starting on Friday July 1, will preceded by the coveted Scandinavian Gold Cup which starts on Monday 27 June. Both trophies have been in the hands of Nergaard and his Artemis crew for many years, the Gold Cup since 2018 and the world championship since 2018, and there is sure to be some fierce competition to relieve him of these prestigious trophies.
Final results
1 Artemis (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Christen Horn Johannessen) 9
2 New Moon II (BAH 24, Modern, Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov) 13
3 MF XXII (SUI 232, Modern, Jürg Menzi-Schmid, Jürgen Eiermann, Andreas Honegger) 13
4 Forza del destino (SUI 211, Modern, George Prapopoulos, Thomas Huber, Simon Pfändler) 32
5 Ali Baba (GER 84, Evolution, Wolf-Eberhard Richter, Beata Kallkowski, Oliver Weiss) 36
Full results: https://www.manage2sail.com/de-DE/event/RobbeBerkingSterlingCup2022#!/results?classId=55mR
All photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fivepointfivemetre/albums/with/72177720299907113
Lorona Preis (youngest crew): Pittwater (GER 110, Susanne Struth, Nina Zibuschka, Pia Matscheroth)
Concourse d’Elegance: Traumfänger (GER 74, Evolution, Jochen Franzen)
Evolution and best German boat: Ali Baba (GER 84, Wolf-Eberhard Richter, Beata Kallkowski, Oliver Weiss)
International Champion: Artemis (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Christen Horn Johannessen