German
Fresh Seventeen is emerging (09/07/04)
(source
: Scuttlebutt
Europe)
There might be a German sailing team to challenge
the world's oldest sports trophy. For ten months so
far, a group of investors, marketing specialists and
sailing experts have been working on making the German
challenge happen.
The campaign will start with a crew of young and mainly
German sailors under the name of "Fresh Seventeen".
Plans are to generate a 45 million Euro fund before
the end of November this year.
The project Fresh Seventeen has been initiated by
Deutsche Challenge 2007 AG (DC 2007 AG). The DC 2007
AG is responsible for implementing the project structures
as well as for securing the financing.
Marketing has been placed in the hands of the Swiss-based
expert agency Prince Henry TV & Sponsoring AG (Zug).
The Financial Director of DC 2007 AG is holding manager
Thomas Robl from Munich, who will work with sailing
experts Andreas John (Sports Director) from Hamburg
and Eberhard Magg (Technical Director) from Kressbronn
on Lake Constance.
John will be selecting the crew that he plans to build
and lead to world class sailing in cooperation with
leading international sailing professionals. Magg
is putting together a design and construction team
and will be responsible for coordinating the building
of a new boat for 2007.
"Germany really needs an America's Cup team and to
sail at long last in the premium class of the most
beautiful sports there is," says living sailing legend
and Olympic winner of 1964, Willy Kuhweide.
The 61-year-old German, who now lives in Phoenix,
Arizona/USA and Zurich, Switzerland, is Commodore
and spokesman of the newly founded Deutscher Challenger
Yacht Club (DCYC) e.V. that will formally file the
challenge at the defending club Société Nautique de
Genève (SNG) in Geneva/Switzerland.
Amongst the founding members of the DCYC are three
of the most renowned and longest-standing German yacht
clubs, which are Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee (Berlin),
Bayerischer Yacht-Club Munich (Starnberg) and Norddeutscher
Regatta Verein (Hamburg).
The German Sailing Association (Deutsche Segler-Verband)
has confirmed to provide the utmost support for the
campaign.
Only six players are present in Marseille "but
several others - Italian, Swedish, British or German
- should officialize their participation", Marcus
Hutchinson, a spokesman for the America's Cup management,
said.
The German press seems to side with him, announcing
that Willi Kuhweide, gold medallist in finn 1962,
will lead a new campaign in Germany for the AC 2007.
Sponsors are found, but earliest next week they will
be announced. A lot of speculations now coming up
in germany who will be the sailors and the afterguard
and with which old boat they will start.
Jochen Schümann keeps clear from the german boat,
cause of his engagement at Alinghi.
