Saturday evening in the hall of an old, traditional Bavarian and very cozy inn in Dießen: 74 sailors and helpers on land and water came to find out the overall ranking of the Ammersee Classics 2023 and to celebrate the winners. They are Luggi Braun from the Ammersee Yacht Club (AYC) with the crew members Benni Höfle, Wilhelm and Christian Zeuschner as well as Hermann Wegner.
Dießen - Four long-established, traditional sailing clubs on the Ammersee west bank came together twelve years ago to organize the classic regatta series Ammersee-Classics (AC): the Bavarian Sailing Association, the Ammersee Yacht Club, the Augsburg Sailing Club (ASC) and the Dießener Sailing Club (DSC). Each club organizes a day or weekend regatta per season according to its own announcement and course. “Every event has its own charm and characteristics,” says AC press spokeswoman Carina M. Eickmann. And adds: “There should be no other complicated rules for participation, so that the joy of sailing can be the focus.”
64 boats from 25 clubs took part in the traditional regatta last year - more than in the COVID years with 55 and 60. 30 classes raced against each other, from the Oslo dinghy, a 12' dinghy, the various racing dinghies, O-dinghies to to the big 45 Nat. cruisers, a 40 skerry, a modern 6m racing yacht, the 4m sailing length boat “VATI” from 1895 and the dragons. The crews with a total of 198 sailors came from ten areas in Germany, from the Bavarian ABC lakes (Ammersee, Bodensee, Chiemsee), Lake Starnberg as well as from Potsdam, Bremen and from Austria from the Danube, the Attersee and Graz.
By taking part in at least three of the “Ammersee Classics” regattas, the boats qualify for the overall annual ranking. Looking at the podium, Eickmann says: “The three placed helmsmen are real connoisseurs of their area, its winds and currents and their boats, which they have been sailing for a long time, renovating themselves and keeping in very good condition as little gems.” And these are the AC- Winner 2023:
• 1st place:
Luggi Braun (AYC), 20sqm racing dinghy Z-430 “Attila”, 10 points; Ballast: Beni Höfle, DSC; Wilhelm and Christian Zeuschner, BYC; Hermann Wegner, YCS.
• 2nd place:
Christoph Hagenmeyer (DSC), 15 sqm racing dinghy M-47 “Luv”, 10 points; Foreliner: Manfred Michl, ASC; Holger Höfle, DSC; Max Friedrich, DSC.
• 3rd place:
Hubert Baur (DSC), 22sqm racing dinghy J-497 “Herzblut”, 11 points; Foreliner: Thomas Knab, AYC; Michael Pointner, MYC.
After the regatta is before the regatta: The first date of the Ammersee Classics 2024 is on June 22nd at the Bavarian Sailing Association in Utting with the “Traditional Class Meeting”. This will be followed by the “Wood Cup” regatta at the Ammersee Yacht Club in Riederau on July 13th and 14th, the “Oldies but Goldies” regatta at the Augsburger Sailing Club on August 17th and 18th in Utting and finally, on August 7th . and September 8th, the “wooden boat” regatta of the Dießener Sailing Club.