There is a genuine sense of occasion at the Aeroskobing harbour when the vessels from the Peter Gast Schiffahrtsregatta arrive.
A ceremonial bell rings for each ship entering the Danish harbour’s walls. Company flags fly high on every mast of the 100-plus vessels competing in the annual race.
The town residents line the streets to welcome the crews as they march around the streets. And a historic cannon sounds the arrival of the first and last vessels in the race and the craft that the Gast brothers, Christian and Dieter, are sailing.
This year’s regatta, the 41st running of the event, arrived just a few days after a royal visit from the King and Queen of Denmark.
Such is the standing of the regatta in Aeroskobing, it may just have upstaged the arrival of King Frederik and Queen Mary.
Pressed on which event would be better, the mayor told the packed award ceremony: “I think this evening will be very good.”
The cheers from over 1,000 sailors present suggested the politician struck a chord with his audience.
Earlier the mayor joined the Gast family and a marching band for a parade, as residents clapped and cheered from their doorways and windows, camera phones in hand.
While some traditions of the shipping world’s largest sailing regatta hold firm, there were some iterations this year.
Long-term organiser Hans-Joachim Lemcke, the right-hand man of the late Peter Gast, shared planning duties with Alexander Gast, who joined the family brokerage from Hapag-Lloyd this spring.
The Peter Gast Schiffahrtsregatta drew domestic and international shipping names, including Oldendorff, Hapag-Lloyd, Peter Dohle, MPC Container Ships, the Buss Group, Clarksons and V.Ships.
And for the first time since the pandemic, Chinese participants returned to attend the event.
Such connections are strong for the German brokerage, given Peter Gast was a pioneer for the first German shipowners ordering newbuildings in China.
