Five of the six X-35s so far based in Northern Germany met for their first competition during the Maior Cup in Kiel from 29 April to 1 May 2006. All the boats were new from the yard and, because of terrible weather conditions in the Spring, the crews had hardly enough time to practise in the weeks prior to the event. Thus all the participants were extremely anxious to learn how their boat would react under racing conditions.

The “Stoller” bar provided all the demands for a challenging race. Wind shifts from 6 to 22 knots, combined with the famed high choppy sea, required a high concentration level from all crews; and the helmsmen and tacticians, in particular, had a very hard job. Because of the changing weather conditions and the lack of experience in tuning the boats, those crews who had spent more hours practising on the water were able to produce a little more speed to force their boats into the lead and so reach the first places. During the races the X-35 field kept close together, enabling the crews to experience “One Design” racing at its very best.

The X-35s were in the same starting line as the entrants in the IMS Class 2, primarily X-37, X-332, Dehler 39, GS 37 and First 36.7. Especially in the light wind conditions, the X-35s were ahead of the field from the start and showed a considerable speed advantage on the beat as well as on the run. The X-35s tended to sail into the IMS Class 1 field.

All the crews believed that the boat needed every kg on the rail in windy conditions. Thus, the teams chose the Medium Jib, even in gusts of up to 22 knots. This meant that, with only minimum training, the boat was easily driven under hard conditions, though the details still had to be practised. As in all other One Design classes, the crews have to understand the characteristics and the trimming of the boat under different conditions.