WHAT
One boat. Two young sailors. One goal: to sail around the world.
Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink competed in the challenging Globe40 2025/2026 offshore regatta aboard their Class40 “Next Generation Boating Around the World.” The route spanned the world’s oceans in six legs, passing legendary capes and making stops on five continents. The race began in September 2025 in Lorient, then proceeded via Cádiz, Mindelo in Cape Verde, La Réunion, Sydney, Valparaíso in Chile, and Recife in Brazil, before returning to Lorient. The teams arrived back there in mid-April to great cheers from the fan community.
Although the Next Generation Boating Around the World crew had gotten off to a very successful start and were among the favorites, the race was not without setbacks for Fink and Burke: Severe equipment damage during the third leg forced the team to turn back. What followed was an intense period of repairs—and an unwavering determination to return. In Recife (Brazil), they finally managed to rejoin the race for the final leg.
Hear and see firsthand how the youngest and only German team in the regatta rose to these challenges: Melwin Fink (24) and Lennart Burke (27) share stories of memorable moments at sea and on land, of extraordinary generosity, genuine team spirit—and of what it means to never give up and to keep sailing forward.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink, two young German offshore sailors who transitioned to Class40 sailing via the Mini 6.50. Since 2022, they have been sailing as a team, and as young entrepreneurs, they are also co-managing directors of two yacht building companies: Next Generation Boating GmbH in Hamburg and Next Generation Yachting GmbH in Kiel. Here in Neustadt, they’re talking about the Globe40, a round-the-world regatta they’ve been competing in over the past few months. Thanks to the Globe40, the pair garnered significant media attention with their project and boat name, Next Generation Boating Around the World. Initially very successful, the two young sailors quickly made a name for themselves in the community and earned the respect of the favored teams, whom they thoroughly intimidated. Due to equipment damage, the German team had to abandon one leg and sit out two more. Since giving up was not an option, Burke and Fink did everything they could to be back at the start for the final leg—and they succeeded! They arrived back in Germany with their Class40 just a week ago. You can view the racer at Pier T, berth 18 (?).
