Sail-Column

Hanse Sail culture and "matschmoor"

The programme of the Hanse Sail-Stage in the Rostockian city harbour is completed! The visitor’s interest for the colourful stage programme has been increased in the last few years.

For this Sail, we expect a new visitor record on the "Headge-Halbinsel". A reason for that could be that there is a wide musical spectrum like Shanty’s, brass band, Jazz and "matschmoor". The musical highlight on August 13th, after the fireworks at 10.45 p.m., is the band "Torfrock". In contrast to Folk rock and Hard rock, Torfrock exists longer then a quarter century.

For those the performance of Torfrock is too late because they want to go on a trip on Sunday morning, they have the opportunity to enjoy music and dances all day long. For example the Polish navy corps which is also a part of the opening ceremony on Thursday August 11th. But also the performance of the country dance group “The Seagulls“, from Rostock, with line dance impressions from the other side of the Atlantic (Sunday 3 p.m.).

Traditional there are shanty choirs at the Hanse Sail. For Elvy Zentsch and Sandra Schönhoff, competent for the stage programme, the decision becomes harder every year. This year more then 120 shanty choirs, from Germany and the whole Europe, applied for this event. Even in the Alps of Switzerland it sound "The sea calls" as the application of the shanty singers Steckborn, near Bern, shows.

But the famous Rostockian 7 decides the number of shanty choirs at the Hanse Sail. The choirs of the 2nd August weekend are Rehburg, Duisburg, Armstrongs Patent from the Netherlands, Shantymen from Poland, Luv und Lee, de Klasshahns and the navy companionship Lahnstein. Shanties and other artistic performances also will be shown on stages in Warnemünde and the city of Rostock, like the years before. The small stage in the international village on the "Headge-Halbinsel" this year is new.

That shanties could be part of a baptism was shown in April, by the shanty group Breitling in Waren and the “Klaashahns” on platform 9 at the central station Rostock, when a 15 meter long "KUHNLE-houseboat" respectively a InterConnex train from the "Ostmecklenburgischen Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH (OME)" got the name "Hanse Sail".

Klaus-Dieter Block