Sail afterthoughts

Showmen are satisfied with the 20th Hanse Sail
Showman Jens Hamburger is one of the jubilees of the Sail. Already during the premiere in 1991, he had a gastronomical booth on the Haedge-Halbinsel. In 2010 he has built up his candy-booth and cozy counter near the NDR-Stage. That can be a good location. Visitors are coming in shoals to eat and drink. “However, when the “Puhdys” are on stage, the masses look at them and we are left out. We realize that when we cash up at night, but other than that, we are very satisfied with this year’s Sail,” says Jens Hamburger, praising especially the Sail-Friday with many visitors due to the good weather. “It’s probably difficult, but more umbrellas on the area would be good”, is his suggestion for next year. He is astonished of the sound intensity in Rostock’s port. “If they were more moderate we would appreciate that much more.”

Opinions about the 20th Hanse Sail
Christoph Schuman or „Mister Hafengeburtstag“, as he is called in his home port Hamburg, is a highly esteemed presentor and publicist for important sailing events and aquatics exhibitions. Born in Flensburg, he was a sailing teacher, became a journalist, and was deputy of the chief editor of the internationally prestigious magazine “Yacht”. The sailing expert has travelled some ten-thousand sea miles on ocean-going yachts and has reported about sailing competitions during the Summer Olympics in Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), and Atlanta (1996). Schuman, who has kept his enthusiasm for all kinds of sailing ships, reports for EUROSPORT for competitions of the Americas Cup and the Admirals Cup, to name only a few. 17 years of presentation during the Hamburger Hafengeburtstage, years of duty during the Kieler Wochen, and now – his second appearance on the Hanse Sail in 2010:

“It is a great event. There is not another meeting of so many traditional sailers in the world as it is here in Rostock. I am very impressed of the hospitality of guests. It is amazing how many Sail-visitors take trips on the ships. The revenues help essentially to preserve the floating cultural artifacts. The naturally given features of the Warnow, the Neuer Strom and the direct opening of the river into the Baltic Sea, are a nature-given-gift for the organisors, crews, and visitors of the Sail. The Hanse Sail Rostock has a great future ahead.” 

Rudolf Barth, showman from Bonn:
“I have heard so much about the Hanse Sail event from collegues all over Germany. Our application for “Wilde Maus” was accepted and I started collecting information about the Sail. Now, my 10-headed team and I have experienced the event. It is much bigger and more beatiful than I could have ever imagined. Organisation and technical service (power and water) are great, the audience is great and the visitors are happy. I am very much pleased with the revenues. I only have one last wish: we would like to come back in 2011.”

Stand up Paddling – Tourstop in Rostock
Standing on a surfboard and paddling, that is the simple task of particpants of the Stand-up-Paddling-German Tour. Yet, where is the sence in that? It is quite simple: Participants compete against 8 or 10 fellow campaigners. They stand on a surfboard and move with the help of a paddle. Whoever completes the two rounds first, wins the race. Of course, there are rules that need to be followed: fairplay is important and touching of opponents is not allowed. This form of sport, which has its origin in Hawaii, has developed a World Championship in Germany last year. The winner of the race in Rostock received a wildcard, and that way a participation for the World Championship in Hamburg. Quite special for surfing-enthusiasts is the fact that “Hamburg’s Hafencity offers a great feeling,” says one of the organisers. Also, visitors will see the most popular windsurfer Robby Naish. The stop in Rostock has been a great success for the organisers. It was the competition woth the most participants of the whole tour.

Rock the Ramp – Jumping into the Warnow by board and by bike
A four meter ramp, jumps up to 8 meters of range, and a speed up to 40km/h: these were the impressive facts of the event “Rock the Ramp” at the Kieshafen next to the GEORG BÜCHNER. Brave participants jumped into the water with their bikes and boards, trying to perform the most spectacular jump. They do not need to care about the landing since the water catches them more or less gentle. “The jumps are evaluated, not the landing – and the courage of the jumpers is much bigger when they know that nothing can go wrong with the landing,” says one of the organisers. The interest in this event was huge. More than 600 visitors came to the qualifying-jumps on the first day. However, the audience was not only condemned to watch: fearless spectators could prove their skills in a fun-jumping-contest. They could slide down a smaller ramp with Bobby-cars.