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Day 1: The Ocean Race Europe – Sails are up & The Race is on!

On Wednesday, 6 August at 5:30 p.m., the time had come: After a long period of planning, Kiel's Lord Mayor Dr Ulf Kämpfer and Kiel Marketing Managing Director Uwe Wanger opened The Ocean Race Europe 2025 together with Race Director Richard Brisius and all the skippers and their teams. The Reventlouwiese in front of the stage was very well filled and many sailing fans greeted the teams enthusiastically.

Ulf Kämpfer is delighted that the Ocean Race has returned to Kiel after the 2002 finish and the fly-by in 2023. "I am proud that we have managed to bring the start to Kiel. There are great athletes and sports enthusiasts here. We are showing that we can also do sailing outside of Kiel Week," he emphasised with a view to Kiel's Olympic bid. To achieve this, sailing must become even more spectacular.

Uwe Wanger, Managing Director of Kiel-Marketing, was also visibly moved and thanked the 250 volunteers and the Kiel-Marketing team for around one and a half years of work and preparation.

In the morning and afternoon, the Ocean Live Park invited visitors to discover and experience. Pagodas, food trucks and stands with hands-on activities stretched from the Geomar to the Blücherbrücke bridge over almost two kilometres. The weather in Kiel finally showed its summery side and the areas were already well filled on the first day. Many sailing fans marvelled at the Imocas moored at the Blücherbrücke. The Kids Ocean Day with Boris Herrmann and his wife Birte together with representatives from Geomar and partner ACO inspired many children to learn more about the marine habitat. Young visitors also got their money's worth at the family concert with Piet Rackete.

The Kiel marketing team gives the final safety briefing before the event gets underway - and from now until Sunday, it's a colourful programme: speed runs on the fjord, RIB rides. On Thursday, Fan Day, there will be interviews, poster signings with all seven sailing teams and much more on the programme. The Gorch Fock attracted many interested parties at the Open Ship on Sartorikai. The navy sail training ship can also be viewed on Thursday between 1 and 6 pm.

InterviewThe RaceTeam SpiritKielHost Cities

Interview with Kiel's Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer
“Visit us in Kiel and let’s think together about what we can do to protect the oceans.“

Kurz vor dem Start des The Ocean Race Europe in Kiel sprachen wir mit dem Oberbürgermeister Dr. Ulf Kämpfer über Teamspirit an Bord und Sichtbarkeit in der Welt, Shackletons Führungskunst und Manövrieren in politischen Gewässern, Segeln und Meeresschutz – und warum zu viel Breitbeinigkeit bei einer Olympiabewerbung schwierig sein kann.

InterviewPartnerKielMarine Protection

ACO: Interview with Moritz Gesterding
“We are protecting our drinking water resources for tomorrow.”

We spoke with Moritz Gesterding, Head of Research & Development at ACO Beton GmbH, about microplastics in water. Moritz is the perfect conversation partner for the interviewer, who wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the box when it came to physics. Moritz's recipe: He goes from tire abrasion on the road to cooking pasta in the kitchen, from there to density differences, sedimentation, flotation, and filtration – to arrive at his favorite paragraph of the Water Resources Act and make the leap to cycling.

NewsPartnerKielMarine Protection

KielRegion
To the Ocean Race with the SprottenFlotte – climate-friendly transportation to the water

Kiel loves the wind and sustainable mobility! If you want to follow the exciting stages of the Ocean Race Europe from the shore, the SprottenFlotte, the regional bike-sharing system in the Kiel region, is a quick, easy, inexpensive and, above all, environmentally friendly way to get there.

NewsDay 1: The Ocean Race Europe – Sails are up & The Race is on!

News
Day 1: The Ocean Race Europe – Sails are up & The Race is on!