Moritz Hagenmeyer from the “Diessner Segel Club” loves the area in Gdynia on the Polish Baltic coast.
Together with Philipp Wrobel, he has now achieved a top result in the 49er at the Junior World Cup.
Dießen - It did not take long before Moritz Hagenmeyer returned to his usual Gdynia feeling. The crew from the "Diessner Segel-Club" has loved the area on the Polish Baltic coast since it first pitched there in 2018. Two years ago, the high school graduate even took a strong eleventh place at the 29er World Championship. That is why it was a fortunate coincidence for him and his helmsman Philipp Wrobel (Segler-Verein Staad) that the Junior World Championships took place in Gdynia again after they switched to the 49er.
"Every day the wind comes from a different direction," reports Hagenmeyer.
The 18-year-old appreciates the peculiarities of the area, which many sailors are desperate about.
He himself feels really challenged by the changing conditions, which in the end was also reflected in the placement of the crew.
After a total of 15 races, the team finished in 20th place, which equated to seventh in the U21 classification.
With this yield, they were the only team to meet the criteria for the national team of the German Sailing Association (DSV), which had made a place in the top eight at the World Cup a condition.
Wrobel / Hagenmeyer work their way into the Gold Fleet
Wrobel / Hagenmeyer were at a disadvantage compared to numerous European competitors who were able to continue training without restrictions in their home countries despite the pandemic, but a total of three weeks of intensified preparation in Kiel and later in Poland were enough for the crew to catch up with their rivals. The fact that the two southern Germans are not exactly among the heavyweights in the industry did not affect the nine qualifying races because the wind was still moderate. And so the team worked its way up to the Gold Fleet of the best 25 teams with numerous top ten results (10/6/6/10/5/9), which was also the declared goal of the Dießen duo.
When a stiff breeze whistled over the Baltic Sea at the beginning of the final series, Wrobel and Hagenmeyer got into turbulence. They capsized twice in the first race. In addition, a large and steep wave later made life difficult for them. If they had avoided high results in qualifying up to ranks 16 and 18, they now had to swallow some results that questioned their prospects for the national squad (21/19/19/17). But there was also a ninth place among them, which polished up their own balance sheet and demonstrated to the crew that they can very well compete with the best.
"It was exciting to sail in these conditions," said Hagenmeyer and was particularly pleased with the new experience he and his skipper were able to gain. In the future, they will enjoy a special place in their regattas as members of the federal squad. The DSV provides you with a trainer, you can settle your expenses through the association and also receive a daily allowance for board and lodging. Gdynia paid off in full.
