Susann Beucke won Olympic silver in Tokyo in sailing. Now she has bigger plans. We were there when she presented her offshore sailing campaign in Hamburg.
At the 2021 Olympics, Susann Beucke won the silver medal with Tina Lutz in the 49FX. Now she is drawing a line under her commitment to the Olympics. Offshore sailing is her new discipline, “This race is female” is the name of her campaign.
“When I started my campaign and saw how many young women I was able to inspire, I was impressed,” says Susann Beucke to a group of journalists at the press event in Hamburg’s NRV. “Women need these role models. I learned a lot of self-confidence from my strong mother, who is also a sailor herself. I want to give that back to young and older women.”
Her role model is Sam Davies. The English professional sailor manages to balance high performance sailing and motherhood. She met Susann Beucke in the training port of Lorient. She learned from Sam Davies that women can turn their physical handicap to their advantage. Women have to sail with foresight, have to plan more.
Sam needs to know. She has already mastered several circumnavigations, including the Volvo Ocean Race 2014. And the last Vendée Globe, which she had to abandon in Cape Town. The whole scene mourned.
Susann Beucke wants women to be seen on an equal footing with their male colleagues in sports reporting. To do this, she wants to take young girls with her on her way and start a movement. “This race is female” also means that she will recruit a female-dominated team for her campaign.
Some had expected that Beucke would sail the next Ocean Race with Boris Herrmann. But Herrmann recently chose Rosalin Kuiper from the Netherlands.
Susann emphasizes that becoming part of Herrmann’s team was never an option for her. “I am someone who likes to make my own decisions. I don’t think there is room at Boris’ side for a woman who likes to do her own project.”
Susann came to offshore sailing in rapid leaps. At the beginning of the year she didn’t know where to start. Then she found her agency in Krugmedia, which orchestrates her campaign.
With Marcus Hutchinson, she has a supporter of international sailors in France who charters her his Figaro. And since June 1st she has had a main sponsor.
However, it was still kept secret at the press conference in the club of the North German Regatta Association. Only at the Kiel Week is it presented with more media attention.
However, one thing is clear: For Susann Beucke, the next two years are financially secure in terms of sailing. And several times, because a second sponsor has already subscribed.
This allows the young offshore sailor to devote herself completely to the elements and train. Because the Class Figaro, in which she is now cavorting, is one of the greatest challenges in offshore sailing.
The most difficult challenge is also just around the corner: The Solitaire du Figaro starts this August. Susann Beucke is the first German woman to take part in this high-class race. And that after less than a year of preparation with no previous knowledge of single-handed sailing. She did it for the first time at the Silverrudder Race last September.
The Olympic starter knew it wouldn’t be easy. Even the silver medal that she won with her partner Tina Lutz in Tokyo did not fall into her lap. But she had thought that she could take something away from the Olympics.
“I thought I could apply maybe a third of my experience and skills to offshore sailing. Then it turned out: If it’s five percent, it’s a lot.”
That realization was hard. But Susann Beucke is used to swallowing hard chunks. When she was alone on the Figaro in Brittany for the first time in February, she got a sense of why the French usually divided the front field among themselves. High waves and February storms bothered her in the first race.
“If you want to take down big sails in a storm and situation, that’s almost impossible. If your trainer also speaks in French, then you realize that you are not given much in this scene.”
But the offshore newcomer takes his time. “I didn’t enter this class to win medals and trophies, but to learn as much as possible. The Class Figaro is the strongest class. I can get really good here,” emphasizes the 30-year-old. And adds: “I am a person who likes challenges and change. Going through it is just fun for me. In the last race I was able to sail in the peloton for three days, then I got caught in a fishing net.”
Susann Beucke still has plenty of time to learn. In 2028 she wants to be the first German woman to take part in the Vendée Globe. Then she is only 36 years old.
As in 2018, she will again take part in the Helga Cup on the Alster in 2022. Four years ago she won the cup with her crew. This time she’s starting in a team of two with Anne Patzwald, who won silver in wheelchair basketball at the 2016 Paralympics. There is no stronger signal of the courage to accept challenges and go through with them.
This article was written by Kerstin Zillmer
The original of this article “Women need role models”, says Olympic star in sailing – and starts new mission” comes from floatmagazin.
