The Executive Board and members of the Yacht Club Darmstadt Worried about the water level in Worms: Will the water level of the Rhine be sufficient? Would the event even be able to take place? It was foreseeable that help would come from above and that rainfall would soon fill the riverbed. After all, the club had heavenly plans: a "star" formation on the Erfeld Old Rhine (access Rhine kilometre 473.9 RU), made up of dozens of boats.
The Erfeld Altrhein is the home waters of the Darmstadt Yacht Club. The club organises its "Stern" every two years, this time on the first Saturday in September. The venue was the "Nordspitze", the estuary of the Erfelder Altrhein, a lagoon-like landscape at the Kühkopf-Knoblochs-aue European nature reserve. Frank Herden, former YCD Chairman, and his successor Dr Christian Lauenstein were responsible for the logistics of the 2012 "Stern".
It all started with the club's flagship, the "Lyra". A rope was laid from her to the "Lady One" from the Erfelden Yacht Club. After that, it was one stroke after another. Boat after boat had to be placed. More anchors were laid, lines were pulled crosswise and yachts were moored together. "When the Oppenheim club ACON registered with nine boats at around 1 p.m., the rush was on," reports YCD secretary Almut Lauenstein. Getting so many boats in at once is a challenge.
Then came the "star". It consisted of 64 yachts from thirteen clubs - "not counting the many small inflatable boats", says Almut Lauenstein. In 2010, the "Stern" had 77 boats. At that time, eleven clubs took part in the formation.
Later, as night fell, trumpets suddenly sounded. Conversations on the boats fell silent and everyone listened to the music. "There was a very special atmosphere," says Almut Lauenstein. The "Stern" is romance, fun, shop talk and much more, she says. And: "It's a cult event." The "Stern" will go into its next round in 2014.
