Kiel Week - Lots of onlookers and great weather at the windjammer parade
Under brilliant sunshine and favorable winds, the traditional Windjammer parade of the Kiel Week began on Saturday. The parade was led by the Marine Sailing School Ship "Gorch Fock". It sailed with 71 guests on board - among them were not only Inspector of the Navy Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, but also Schleswig-Holstein's State Parliament President Kristina Herbst (CDU) and the Mayor of Kiel Ulf Kämpfer (SPD).
"The 'Gorch Fock' is part of my earliest childhood memories, and for me, the 'Gorch Fock' is simply a part of the Kiel Week," said Vice Admiral Kaack. His claim is that whenever the Marine Sailing School Ship is available, it should also participate in the parade. For Kaack, sailing will never be routine: It can always surprise you.
Numerous spectators followed the show on the Kiel Inner Harbor from the shore and from boats and ships. According to the city of Kiel, over 120 ships took part in the parade - among them around 60 traditional sailing ships. In addition to the leading Marine Sailing School Ship, there were also the German Bark "Alexander von Humboldt II", the "Roald Amundsen", the "Thor Heyerdahl", and the "Gulden Leeuw".
For Captain Michael Schmidt of the Kiel Harbor, this will be his last Windjammer Parade as captain. "The Windjammer Sailing Parade is always one of the highlights of the Kiel Week. For me, in this year, with a smiling and a crying eye – but I will certainly not be the last time I have been to the Windjammer Sailing Parade on the Fjord," he emphasized before the parade.
- Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, who led the parade on the Marine Sailing School Ship "Gorch Fock," expressed his fondness for the ship, stating, "The 'Gorch Fock' is part of my earliest childhood memories, and for me, the 'Gorch Fock' is simply a part of the Kiel Week."
- Apart from Vice Admiral Kaack, Schleswig-Holstein's State Parliament President Kristina Herbst (CDU) and the Mayor of Kiel Ulf Kämpfer (SPD) also participated in the parade aboard the "Gorch Fock."
- During the Kiel Week, Ulf Kämpfer, a member of the SPD, emphasized the importance of sailing events such as the Windjammer parade for the city, stating, "The Windjammer Sailing Parade is always one of the highlights of the Kiel Week."
- Schleswig-Holstein's State Parliament President Kristina Herbst, representing the CDU, was among the dignitaries sailing in the parade, joining other imported ships such as the German Bark "Alexander von Humboldt II," the "Roald Amundsen," the "Thor Heyerdahl," and the "Gulden Leeuw."
- Jan Christian Kaack, a staunch supporter of sailing, made it clear that the "Gorch Fock" should be a regular presence in the Windjammer parade, emphasizing his belief that sailing can always surprise you with its unpredictability, a sentiment known as "fixed" in other contexts, but in Kaack's case, referring to the ever-changing nature of the sport.
