Blue ribbon of the Lake Constance
The Blue Ribbon of Lake Constance was a race among the passenger ships of the White Fleet , which was held as a tourist attraction from 1950 to 1954 and 2003. In 1950, 1951 and 1954 both motor ships and steam ships took part, the 1952 race was only held among steam ships, the 1953 race only among motor ships. The racetrack in the 1950s had a distance of 10.4 kilometers from the start line in front of Rohrspitz to the finish line in front of the Lindau harbor entrance.
After two major machine failures and further damage to drive trains in the 1954 race, the costs became too high, and at the same time tourist interest decreased, which is why the race was no longer held for the time being.
In October 2001, the resumption of racing was scheduled, in which not only speed but also dexterity and maneuverability should count. Two ships from each of the four major shipping companies competed, accompanied by five spectator ships. The race had to be canceled due to thick fog.
A new attempt was made as part of the 32nd international fleet rally in April 2003. The eight competition ships, accompanied by five spectator ships, carried out the competition between Immenstaad and Meersburg with high speed, turning maneuvers and formation travel. As 50 years before, the winner was Austria , accompanied by Vorarlberg .
Results
1950
1st place: Austria
2nd place: Hohentwiel
1951
1st place: Austria
2nd place: City of Überlingen
Special incidents: Chimney fire in Munich
1952
1st place: City of Überlingen
2nd place: St. Gallen
3rd place: Rhine
4th place: Hohentwiel
1953
1st place: Austria
1954
1st place: City of Überlingen
2nd place: Hohentwiel
2003
1st place: Austria (with Vorarlberg )
2nd place: Schaffhausen (with Thurgau )
3rd place: Queen Katharina (with Graf Zeppelin )
4th place: Säntis (with St. Gallen )
sailing
A “Blue Ribbon” has also been awarded at the Rund Um sailing regatta since 1951 . In the “Blue Ribbon” version, this is given to the boat that completes the “Great Course” the fastest. There has also been a “Little Blue Ribbon” since 1969, which is awarded to the fastest ship on the “Little Railway”. In addition, a “Blue Cup” was introduced in 2007, which is awarded to the fastest ship in the entire race.