- Leaning forward to Hanse Sail - "We are ready to go"
Hanse Sail is ready to set sail. "We're ready to go," announced Matthias Fromm, director of the Rostock and Warnemünde Tourism Center. This maritime festival will be opened on Thursday by Minister President Manuela Schwesig (SPD). Around 500,000 people are expected to visit the Rostock city harbor and the Baltic Sea resort of Warnemünde until Sunday.
The Hanse Sail has a "huge added value" for Rostock, said Mayor Eva-Maria Kröger (Left). It's not just a location promotion, but also an economic boost and a space for successful networking for many companies. This year, a delegation from the Finnish port city of Turku will also be present, as Finland is the partner of the 33rd Hanse Sail, which expects over 130 traditional and museum ships at the Rostock quays.
For the third consecutive year, the German Navy's Gorch Fock is participating. It arrived at the prominent mooring spot of the Warnemünde Mittelmole on Thursday morning. It came from Kiel and is the largest traditional ship this year. Due to technical problems, the Brazilian "Cisne Branco" cannot participate, so the "Pascual Flores" from Spain, with a distance of nearly 2,500 nautical miles (4,500 kilometers) from its home port, has the title of the ship with the longest journey. More than 12,000 sailing opportunities are offered by the booking center of the Hanse Sail office.
Full on-land program
The oldest ship this year is the high seas cutter "Landrat Küster", launched in 1889 in Hamburg. The cutter sailed the North Sea for many years for fishing, between 1939 and 1945 the Baltic Sea, and later searched for mines off the French Channel coast.
Not only on the water, but also on land, there's a lot to offer: From the city harbor via the New Market to the Warnemünde beach, over 200 artists will perform on 20 stages from August 8 to 11. Two fireworks displays are planned, one of which will be fired from a ponton on the Warnemünde beach on Thursday at 22:30.
"We have to bring about two tons of material on board," says Rostock fireworker Christian Stiene. This includes launch racks and pipes of various sizes. The second pyrotechnic spectacle will take place on Saturday at 22:30 in the city harbor. The Hanse Sail has been held annually on the second weekend of August since 1991.
The opening of the Hanse Sail will be led by Minister President Manuela Schwesig, marking the start of The People's Festival. This year, The People's Festival, or Hanse Sail, expects over 130 traditional and museum ships to attend.
