TITLE FIGHT IN CLASS FORMAT
First Dehler 30 one design Championship in Warnemünde
First Dehler 30 one design Championship in Warnemünde
Who is the best Dehler 30od sailor? To find out, eight teams met for the big One Design Championship in Warnemünde, Germany. From 25 to 27 August 2022, the 30od Class Association hosted two challenging races off the North German Baltic coast: a coastal race and a long-distance regatta. The special feature: for equal opportunities between the two- and four-crewed yachts, only the two-person crews were allowed to use their water ballast system on their offshore racer.
The ambitious sailors gave each other nothing - head-to-head races and close finishes became the rule. In the coastal race, which was characterised by low winds at times, "Play Time" and "Power Play" delivered a close finish. During the long-distance regatta, the crew of "Power Play" took the title only four minutes ahead of the most persistent chaser "Play Harder". The overall victory over both disciplines was secured by Martin Kringel and Thomas Scholz on "Power Play". Second place went to "Play Time" with Thomas Schurig, Björn Demmin, Thomas Jünnemann and Alexander Busher, ahead of the "Play Harder" of Dirk Tschierschke and Christopher Gerth with Martin Buck. The results list shows: whether in pairs with water ballast or in fours without, any of the 30-foot racing yachts could have won the competition. This confirms that class racing within a one design class is possible even with a different number of crew members.
Despite all the ambition and sportive sailing, the participants did not miss out on the intensive exchange of ideas about their racing yachts. Oliver Denzer, first chairman of the Class Association, was touched by the sight of the many sailing boats on the jetty and the commitment of the crews. In the future, the "Baltic Championship" should take place annually and attract even more sailors. In 2024, an expansion to Denmark would even be conceivable. With the delivery of the first offshoreboats to Thailand and Japan, the number of 30od yachts and their success will increase worldwide and the class will become even more international as the number of members grows.
Photos © Jens ScholzCT
