43rd Rumregatta Flensburg 2024

Regatta for traditional sailing ships, where it is important to become second!

If you look at the old editions of the Flensburg Harbour Journal, you can learn a lot about the origins of the Rumregatta, which is now considered the largest event of gaff-rigged sailing ships in Northern Europe. Superlatives aside, the Rumregatta is the start of sailing in spring and has not lost its appeal for former working sailing vessels and tens of thousands of spectators, even if fewer ships take part in the frivolous squadron race on the Flensburg Fjord now. Size alone was not the goal for the Flensburg Museum Harbour. Quality has always come before quantity.

This year, the organizers had to contend with the fact that large sections of the Flensburg harbor have been closed since it suffered severe damage following the floods in October 2023. This will remain the case for the next few years, as repairs will take at least 5 years. And the pier in front of the museum shipyard is also getting old. There is a lot of work to be done, and no one knows who will carry it out and pay for it. However, many Flensburg residents cannot imagine a year without the popular Rumregatta, and so the event market was moved all the way north to the quayside Nordertorkai. The sailing ships were packed together in small groups directly in front of it or on the pier in front of the museum shipyard, just a few minutes' walk from each other. This resulted in this mixture of a forest of masts, fluttering pennants, the smell of wood tar and linseed oil. The guest skippers were very happy with this solution. The market with its maritime traditions, boat builders, shipbuilders and outfitters is now more of a market with booths selling culinary delights. Unfortunately, the number of maritime craftsmen, who used to make the market so attractive, is decreasing.

It started again on Friday with the regatta for smaller fishing boats. This small competition for former traditional fishing boats or their replicas is very popular and has, as is well known, become a highlight of the Rumregatta in recent years. With the Viking boat "Erik Styrimathr" and the Norwegian church boat "Oster", there were a total of 14 boats that took part this year. The Polish wooden boat enthusiasts from the Kashubian Baltic coast and the Hel peninsula showed two boats this time, the "Eplónga" and the "Amata", that had never been in Flensburg before. Extremely attractive for all spectators, the triangular course laid out in the harbour led directly along an accessible jetty on a flower island, which provided a first-class view of the regatta. However, it required skill from the crews as they guided their boats along this very narrow course in dense crowds with little wind.

The Rumregatta on Saturday was almost cancelled. The ships sailed out into the bay and set all possible sails, but it didn't help most of them to be at the finish line before the end of the regatta with so little wind. I had a special eye on the ships that had never been in Flensburg before or not very often: "Alliance", "Haabet", "Karoline Svane" and "Yrsa".

Of course, the numerous spectators in Flensburg harbour also witnessed another prize giving of the special kind. The regatta management had somehow managed to fairly determine the recipients of the coveted rum bottles, which was not easy due to the somewhat unusual conditions on the water. The prizes for the winners were, as usual, the most pathetic and ridiculous under the entire Nordic sun. A special mention must be made of a puppet theater as a prize for the winners of the small fishing boats, which will be used to make the cultural contribution next year. The runners-up received the coveted rum by the sponsor Johannsen. Also very noteworthy: I think it was the crew of the "De Albertha" who thanked the organisers, helpers, exhibitors and cultural workers in front of the assembled audience who had worked hard to prepare and carry out the event and contributed to its success.

One of the most beautiful experiences took place in the evening, when, as always, the gaff orchestra was made up of all the musicians present. The street musicians felt extremely comfortable with the new market situation and spoke of the most beautiful Rumregatta in years. This time the gaff orchestra played on the deck of the motor freight ship "Gesine", while the conductor directed the orchestra and then the audience from the quayside, repeatedly calling for order in a cabaret-like manner.

Thanks to the organisers and the crew of the "Gesine" for this 43rd Rumregatta Flensburg 2024.