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50th Rhinplatte Rund 2024
The autumn meeting of the "Freunde des Gaffelriggs" association is traditionally organised in Glückstadt and combined with an excursion or regatta on the river Elbe. In the past, the course went around the Rhinplatte, a small Elbe island off Glückstadt. Today, this is no longer possible because the edge of the Elbe is silting up. Because the southern tip of the Rhinplatte is too unsafe due to constantly changing water depths, the regatta is currently started off Glückstadt and a buoy in the north of the river is used as a turning point. But the name has remained: Rhinplatte Rund.
"Elbe" and "Präsident Freiherr von Maltzahn" sailing the Rhinplatte Rund 2024.
"Beagle" and "Elbe", before the start everything was prepared for the rain shower.
It was a coincidence that I finally managed to take part. I had wanted to for a long time. This year, a business trip was conveniently on my route home. I found accommodation pretty quickly. Getting a ride on one of the sailing ships was more difficult. Tips from the organisers and a good contact helped me.
Guests in the outer harbour of Glückstadt
Docking in Glückstadt
Glückstadt has a relatively small harbour for visiting boats only. Local ships, such as the "Rigmor"
or "Nellie & Leslie"
are behind the lock. Anyone who wants to remain independent of lock times stays in front of it and is then exposed to the ebb
and flow of the tides. The mooring options here are also limited. Mass participation is not to be expected at this event.
But there are ships coming from the Hamburg area that are rarely seen anywhere else.
As has been the case so often this year, the weather was stormy this weekend. The wind also prevented several ships from arriving.
Even some people from Hamburg who normally take part in Glückstadt decided not to go and stayed in their safe little harbors.
Nevertheless, I saw several ships coming in that I had never seen before. It was nice to have a picture of a ship for once, for which
I had previously only known a name in a results list. Despite the stormy wind and rain showers, I stood at the harbour entrance in the
late afternoon until it finally got dark.
The "Elbe" was awared the prize for the longest journey from home.
"Frieda" and "Thordis", sailing in wonderful wind and sometimes sunshine.
By the way, you don't have to look long for a cozy restaurant in Glückstadt. I got to know the city briefly, also known for the Matjes weeks in June, but I would like to return again to explore the down town in a little more peace and quiet and in daylight.
"Johanna von Amrum", often fast and unbeatable today.
"Melpomene" und "Beagle", both ships are based on the river Elbe.
The regatta day began with several rainbows over the Elbe, sometimes glaring light from the sun and again very dark skies. Upon arrival on my ship, the Finkenwerder Kutter "Landrath Küster", they prepared the ship for the regatta. Unfortunately, due to a failed departure maneuver by another ship, the boom of our mizzen sail was broken. So we would not be able to compete with the other Finkenwerder Kutter, the "Präsident Freiherr von Maltzahn" in the regatta today. Some of the crew on the "Rigmor" also had to change their plans and join us because the ship would remain in the harbour. This was easy to organise.
"Nellie & Leslie", she sailed further than everyone else, but didn't come last!
"Ronja", a replica of a pile barge based on the model of the fishing barges of Blankenese that sailed here in the 18th and 19th centuries.
"Melpomene" and "Wanderschaft", on the way to the turning buoy.
Finish line ahead, we did not cross the finish line last.
Once on the water, we were caught in the first real rain shower immediately after setting off. And as expected, we lined up at the
end of the regatta field or were overtaken by most of the regatta participants. For me, this was a very good starting point for
taking photos. The fact that we did not sail around the Rhinplatte, but took a course that allowed us to meet the front of the
regatta field on the way back, was also an advantage. Thanks to the wind and the sun now shining again, I was able to observe
attractive sailing situations.
I didn't stay for the evening event. The journey home still took some time. But I have a very good impression of this event. Many
thanks to the organisation team, the sponsors and the participating ships and their crews.
Deepening of the river Elbe - curse or blessing?
While writing this report and inspired by articles on the Internet, I became aware of an issue that poses challenges for many of the small port towns along the Elbe, especially in the Hamburg metropolitan region. It is not easy for a non-Hamburger to write about an issue that affects me only slightly personally, but that is very much a threat to the existence of the local economy. The port of Hamburg must be competitive. But striving for this should also be coordinated with other interests. I am skeptical when economic interests are put before the sustainable common good and when natural resources are ruthlessly destroyed, probably irreversibly.
The ships used to transport goods are getting bigger and bigger because this increases operators' profits from transport.
The port operators are trying to adapt to this. Hamburg's access to the sea is the river Elbe, which would naturally
have a depth of 2-4 meters only. In order to counteract the gradual loss of importance and to allow access for today's giant
ships, ideally with passing places for oncoming traffic, the fairway had to be deepened several times, a total of nine times
within the last 200 years and most recently between 2019 and 2022. However, we noticed one of the effects at the 50th Rhinplatte
Round Sailing Event. The Elbe around the Rhinplatte, an island in the middle of the river, is beginning to silt up on the
land side. Passage is now also associated with risks for traditional sailing ships with a draft of 2-3 meters.
Why does dredging the river lead to the Elbe becoming more silted up? The positive aspects of deepening the Elbe are obvious:
larger ships can be handled in the port of Hamburg. The negative effects, however, have led thousands of people to protest
against the deepening. The effort required to maintain the deepening is high, apparently now higher than the deepening itself.
The reasons for the increasing silting up at the edges are the higher flow speed of the river in the middle and the force of
the tide, which moves more sediment from the sea. Steeper channel walls are eroded more. Increasing water shortages in the
upper reaches of the river mean that less material is washed back into the North Sea. Sediment is therefore moved more and
more quickly, but not evenly in both directions. Harbour basins along the river also function as catch basins for the sediment.
The effort required for maintenance dredging is increasing.
For outsiders, it is therefore difficult to understand why we in Germany do not apparently have a pan-German port management
system, because the Jade-Weser-Port in Wilhelmshaven actually provides a competitive and easier to maintain deep-sea port.
Wikipedia article about the deepening of the river Elbe (in German)
Elmar Specht:
"Elbvertiefung und Sportschifffahrt",
in "Hamburg für die Elbe - Bürgerinitiative zum Schutz der Elbe", April 2014
Brief situation report on the effects of the Elbe deepening on recreational boating
Download of the article
Joachim Staugaard:
"Rhinplatte Rund - zum 50. Mal... seit vier Jahren - op un dol - nicht mehr Rund!",
in PIEKFALL Mitteilungsblatt der Freunde des Gaffelriggs, Ausgabe 145, 12/2024
Report with photographs