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  • 2005
  • German sailors seize opportunity of a lifetime

German sailors seize opportunity of a lifetime

German sailors seize opportunity of a lifetime

The only German entry in this year´s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has arrived at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia to make final preparations for the Boxing Day blue water classic.

The only German entry in this year´s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has arrived at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia to make final preparations for the Boxing Day blue water classic.

The German challenge to cross Bass Strait is being driven by Conergy, a world leading renewable energy company.

”With many keen sailors among the 750 employees worldwide, only the most experienced have joined us for the race,“ says Dirk Wiegmann, the boat´s owner and company divisional director.

Amongst the Rolex Sydney Hobart entries, this crew of nine offers a very interesting mix. Six keen German sailors, mainly from the well known Kieler Yacht Club, have joined forces with three Australian Rolex Sydney Hobart regulars. While the German crew members have raced in several ocean races in Europe and America, their counterparts from downunder have notched up a combined 38 finishes at Constitition Dock in Hobart.

Skipper Neil Gray has mastered more than 100 long distance sailing trips. Navigator Lindsay May is undertaking his 33rd consecutive Rolex Sydney Hobart. Setting the path for Brindabella over the last ten years, Lindsay has seen all moods of the roaring forties. Together with German match race runner up, Swantje Oldorp, and Malte Feurer, the crew is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to measure themselves downunder against the best sailors in the world.

”The first crew test was a one-armed handstand on a winch - everyone passed. Now it is about blending international sailing cultures and expressions,“ says skipper Neil Gray. ”We are learning from each other. The crew, already Aussies-bronzed and relaxed, is a million miles away from Germany’s December snow.“

The boat is as unique as the crew agrees the New Zealand designer of the one-off 13.8 metre (45 foot) boat, Ray Beale. ”With twin rudders, the boat drives like it’s on a railway track, even in heavy seas,” says Beale.

Flat underwater lines allow for boat speeds in excess of 20 knots reckons Beale.

The fascination for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race also runs deep in the successful company backing this international crew.

”Everyone at Conergy is standing behind us. We are getting great support from our colleagues in Australia and overseas. Now it is our turn to seize this opportunity,“ adds Wiegmann.