Germany's Silke Hahlbrock right at home
After learning to sail on the Alster, a lake in the heart of Hamburg city, the changeable winds that swirl around the inner harbour are nothing new for the German skipper.
“It’s a really small lake and the winds shift so much because of the houses all around it,” Hahlbrock said. “That’s why I really enjoy sailing here. This is really my style of sailing.”
“We really like the venue, we like it when it’s shifty and gusty. When you are behind you still have a chance to keep up.”
For the 27-year-old skipper, who is ranked 20th in the world, the key to success is dealing with conditions as they come.
“I think it’s very important to have a good plan but be flexible as well,” she said. “Because it’s so shifty, and some winds you can’t see, so you really just react.”
The German team, comprising Hahlbrock at the helm with her sister Maren and Kerstin Schult as crew, is currently fifth in Group A in the Round Robin stage, but just one point away from the lead, as the first four crews all sit on 11 points.
One of Hahlbrock's early victories was against world number one Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) but Hahlbrock says her team isn’t focusing on particular teams.
“It’s not necessarily who we beat but more about how we sail,” she said. “We focus on us and don’t really care about who we sail against.
“We’re just really happy with our performance overall so far.”
Women’s Match Racing is scheduled to continue on Friday with round-robin competition to set sail at 1000 on Fremantle’s Inner Harbour.