European J/70 Sailing League Updates

 

(Hamburg, Germany)- The 2021 pandemic versions of the thirteen-plus J/70 sailing leagues across Europe are coming up with a variety of clever programs to ensure there is racing, lockdowns or not. Perhaps the most clever and aggressive plan comes from the Norwegians.

Starting their fifth season of racing J/70s on their idyllic settings of fjords and villages by the sea, the league plans to have both "open" and "lockdown" scenarios as part of their strategy for the 2021 season. 

Viggo Holm, leader of Sandefjord Sailing Association explained, "we in Sandefjord Sailing Association are excited to once again host and manage the first sailing league event for Norway's best sailors! We promise a good atmosphere, and here in Norway's sunny county we are betting on the weather providing us good winds and lots of sun. With beautiful Seilerholmen as an arena, we will offer sailors food and drink between battles and a place to relax. Sailing in Norway needs a real sailing party now after the corona, and we will achieve that!"


From May 29-30 the opening event will be held with 15 teams in each of the two divisions. Åsgårdstrand Seilforening are still defending champions from the 2019 season, since the 2020 season was wiped out by the covid-19 pandemic. 

During this year's sailing league season, there will also be a fight for places in the Sailing Champions League. After the end of the season, the four best in the elite series will have the opportunity to try their hand internationally, sailing the emerald waters off Porto Cervo, Italy at YC Costa Smeralda.

A novelty for this year is that any event, if the corona situation requires it, can be held as a mixed doublehanded regatta, instead of the boats being fully manned by four sailors.

"That we have made the opening to be able to sail mixed doublehanded in the league rounds, means that it must be a very impossible corona situation for the sailing league not to be able to be completed this year," says Magnus Hedemark from SailLogic, the firm responsible for the implementation of the sailing league.


Anniversary party in Larvik
After Sandefjord, the journey continues to Larvik, where the teams will meet again for the competition from June 19-20. The city of Larvik is celebrating its 350th anniversary this year, and the sailing league competition will be part of the celebration. 

Bjarte Løchen, who is the regatta manager in Larvik Sailing Association, commented that, "we aim to use the same sailing arena in Larvik's inner harbor. But, we will take into account extra space on land due to infection control regulations, and therefore plan to lay the sailing base on Sanden Pier in front of Kulturhuset Bølgen. We hope for a lot of life and fun and extra attention around the event."

Exciting finale in the west
The big finale will take place on September 11-12, and for the first time the sailing league will visit Florø. Florø Sailing Association has been in the league from the very beginning and is in the elite series. The team has sailed there for three of four seasons.  Follow Norwegian J/70 Sailing League on Facebook here.   For more J/70 Sailing League information

German J/70 Sailing League Schedule Update

 

(Hamburg, Germany)- The season schedule for the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga and the German Junior Sailing League is in place. Six regatta weekends are planned for the 1st Sailing Bundesliga, five for the 2nd Sailing Bundesliga and four for the juniors.

With events from southern Germany to Berlin to Schleswig-Holstein, sailors will be challenged again in 2021 in a wide variety of sailing conditions. In addition to the Chiemsee, there is also sailing on Lake Constance, on the Wannsee, on the Kiel Fjord and on the Baltic Sea in Warnemünde. 

“The year 2020 has shown that sailing is also possible in pandemic times with the appropriate safety measures. We are therefore starting the 2021 season with a clean hygiene concept, flexibility and great optimism,” says Ole Studnitz, Chairman of the German Sailing League.

The teams are already preparing; with online racing and race analysis. Plus, the sailors are now getting fit for the start of training on the water. 


Markus Ostermair, team manager of the Chiemsee Yacht Club, wants to get started right from the start. “Of course, we want to attack and position ourselves for the season at our home game.” All eyes should also be on last year's champions; Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, runner-up ONEKiel, and third place Seglerhaus am Wannsee club.

The season schedule for the 1st and 2nd sailing Bundesliga:

• Apr 30- May 2- ACT I- Prien (Chiemsee)
• May 14-16- ACT II- Überlingen (Lake Constance)
• Jul 16-18- ACT III- Kiel-Schilksee (Baltic Sea)
• Aug 6-8- ACT IV- Berlin (Wannsee, only 1st sailing Bundesliga)
• Sep 17-19- ACT V- Warnemünde (Baltic Sea)
• Oct 21-23- DSBL FINALE- Berlin (Wannsee)
• Jul 6 to Nov 7- DSL CUP- Berlin (Wannsee)

The dates of the German Junior Sailing League:

• Jun 4-6- ACT I- Constance (Lake Constance- Konstanzer Yacht Club))
• Jul 23-25- ACT II- Kiel (Baltic Sea- Kieler Yacht-Club)
• Aug 27-29- ACT III- Essen (Baldeneysee- Essener Turn-und Fechtclub)
• Oct 8-10- FINALE- Berlin (Tegeler See- Joersfelder Segel-Club)

Follow the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga on Facebook here   For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga information

Norddeutscher Regatta Verein Blitzkriegs German J/70 DSL Cup!

 

(Hamburg, Germany)- Just one week after winning the championship of sailing clubs, the North German Regatta Club (NRV) also won the German Sailing League Cup DSL Cup in its home waters on the gorgeous Alster Lake in downtown Hamburg. 


With a 21-point lead over the second-placed Württemberg Yacht Club and the Flensburger Segel-Club in third place, the North German club achieved a clear victory. Their performance on such a shifty, puffy lake was nothing short of astonishing...obviously, local knowledge plays a huge role on the lake! Winning nine of 12 races outright, their worst finish was a single third place! Yes, one might call that performance a virtual white-out!


“We are really happy! Last week the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga championship and this week the DSL Cup - it couldn't be more beautiful,” said Tobias Schadewaldt, helmsman from NRV, happy about the top performance of his team. He attributes the success to the common spirit on board, “we concentrate on the positive things and on the parameters that we can influence. This constructive attitude, which we all share on board, carried us to victory."


In addition to the trophy, the regatta was also about staying up in the league and advancing to the 2nd sailing league for many teams. For the Westphalian Yacht Club Delecke and the Sailing Club Ville as the second division at risk of relegation, it was about staying up, which they secure with sixth and ninth places for the coming season. The Salzgitter Sailing Club and the Regatta-Segler-Neuruppin move up to the second sailing league for the first time with places seven and eight.  Sailing Photo credits- DSBL / Lars Wehrmann   Watch this German J/70 DSL Cup highlights video- sweet!  For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing information

Norddeutscher Regatta Verein Five-Peats German J/70 Sailing League Series

 

(Hamburg, Germany)- In an impressive display of consistency on the shifty, puffy waters of Alster Lake in downtown Hamburg, Germany, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein Team "five-peated" the German J/70 Sailing League. Their helmsman, Tobias Schadewaldt, was also repeat winner from their 2018 winning team. 


After a sensational kick start at the beginning of the season and an exciting chase over the last few regattas, the ONE Kiel team secured the runner-up title in their first season as a first division club. Last year's champions from the Seglerhaus am Wannsee association took third place on the podium. 

The Bodensee-Yacht-Club Überlingen prevailed in the 2nd sailing league and, in addition to regatta victory, also won the season overall, ahead of the Mühlenberger Segel-Club in second and the Joersfelder Segel-Club in third. 


The thirty-six clubs of the 1st and 2nd sailing Bundesliga competed in the final showdown on Hamburg's Alster Lake over three days. With a four points lead ahead of their rival ONE Kiel, the NRV started the regatta as championship leader after the previous four regattas and secured the championship trophy and the title on the final day in excellent wind conditions.


For NRV helmsman Tobias Schadewaldt, this title was a great relief, as he describes shortly after the decisive race, “after the first two days of the regatta, I frankly thought that the title would not work this year. But, thank God I was totally wrong with that! It was very exciting for us until the end! Most recently, the pressure to have to sail well was particularly great! Luckily, we managed that. Before this year's finale, I remembered the final two years ago in Hamburg, which we had won. Our team gave me a lot of strength personally and now I am relieved that it turned out so successfully for us."  German J/70 Sailing League YouTube highlights.  Sailing Photo credits: DSBL / Lars Wehrmann   For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing regatta informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

German J/70 League Finale Preview

 

(Hamburg, Germany)- Who will be the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga Champion for 2020 in the season-ending showdown on the Alster Lake in Hamburg, Germany, hosted by the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein?  Eighteen teams will be vying for the coveted title in the matched fleet of a dozen J/70s on the fun, but tricky wind conditions in the downtown lake.  

Looking to defend their current league leading position will be the Hamburg hosts- NDRV. The newcomers on the ONE Kiel Team are in second place, followed by the Hemelingen Water Sports Club in third.


For the first time in eight years, the NDRV at the top of the leaderboard have not yet won a regatta all season. But, thanks to their consistently good placements, they are close to their fifth championship title in eight years of participating in the German Sailing League. 


Perhaps most impressive is the rapid ascent of the newcomers from the ONE Kiel Team. They have already celebrated two regatta wins this season and are only in second place because of one outlier (e.g. a "down the mine shaft performance"); with a 15th place finish in the third regatta. Like their NDRV colleagues, the overall title is within reach - an exciting season finale seems guaranteed between these two protagonists!

On Friday and Saturday, the races will be broadcast live on Facebook, YouTube and Sportdeutschland.TV from 12:00 p.m. Central European time.  Sailing Photo credits: DSBL / Lars Wehrmann  For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing regatta information

NRV Leading German J/70 Sailing League

 

(Berlin, Germany)- Over the past two weekends, the eighteen teams that are participating in the 2020 Deutscher Segel-Bundesliga have been fortunate enough to have great sailing over their three-day events.  The third event in the series was sailed on Berlin's Wansee Lake, while the fourth event was sailed off Kiel on the Baltic Sea. Two very different event sites (a tactical shifty, puffy lake versus an open bay with steadier breezes) produced two very different winners. Here are the reports below. 


BERLIN:
In the last race of the regatta, the VSaW (Verein Seglerhaus am Wansee) clinched a victory for the fifth time over the weekend and thus achieved the overall victory at the same time. "It's a great sense of achievement to show your performance in the area where you always train and to see that the work pays off," said VsaW skipper Popken. “We didn't look at the score and started the last race super relaxed - for me this is the best strategy not to get nervous and to keep a clear head.” 

The third event of the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing in a matched fleet of 12 J/70s day brought a few leaps in position in the season table. The ONE Kiel team, which started as leader of the table and favorite in the event, only finished 15th after winning the first two events of the year. As a result, they slipped down to third place and giving the overall lead to the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein Hamburg from. The Segel un Motorboot Club Überlingen holds its own in second place overall. 


KIEL:
The competition for the 2020 championship title in Kiel-Schilksee entered the final phase before the big season finale in Hamburg. For the second time this season, the 36 clubs from the 1st and 2nd league competed in front of Kiel. The Baltic sailing club, the Kiel sailing association and TSV Schilksee hosted the regatta.

The four-time German champions, the Norddeutsche Regatta Verein (NRV), made a spectacular comeback on the last match day in Berlin on the Wannsee and took the lead in the overall standings.

Anke Lukosch, Project Manager of the German J/70 Sailing League, gave an outlook on the thrilling duels on the Baltic Sea, “many clubs are currently very close together, so the pressure is high. Even small mistakes can mean valuable positions in the table. In Kiel, it will be decided who will lead the table and thus from pole position to the season finale."

In the end, winning the Kiel event was Munchner Yacht-Club from Munich, followed by the ONE Kiel Team resurrecting themselves after a disastrous Berlin event. Taking third was by far the most consistent team in the league, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV). 


As a result, the NRV team continued to solidify their lead in the overall standings, sitting with 15 pts at the top of the leaderboard. By virtue of their strong performance in Kiel, the early series leaders- ONE Kiel Team- have also solidified their position in second place.  There are two teams tied for third at 27 pts each after four events, Wassersport-Verein Hemelingen and Chiemsee Yacht Club. Just one point back in fifth place is Segel-und Motorboot Club Uberlingen. 

There will be plenty of fireworks in the finally taking place on Hamburg's Alster Lake in October with the championship trophy on the line. With just four points separating the two leaders, every race will count. And, behind them will be an all-out battle for the bronze step on the podium between three, if not, four teams (including Berliner YC).  For more German J/70 Sailing League informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

J/70 Segel Bundesliga- First Regatta Success!

 

(Wannsee, Germany)- Like their fellow J/70 sailing leagues across Europe, it has been difficult to conduct any regatta due to the varying restrictions placed at multiple levels of regulations- from local, to provincial, to national. However, Germany's various agencies finally permitted the Deutsche Segel-bundesliga to host their first event of the season on the gorgeous Wansee Lake for the thirty-six sailing clubs sailing in their fleet of a dozen J/70s. 

DAY 1
Strong winds and gusts dominated the Wannsee. While the conditions were tough on many sailors and only allowed three flights, the second division Joersfelder Segelclub seemed to be in their element. At the end of the day, they held an enormous nine-point lead over the Kieler Yacht Club and the Academic Sailing Club Warnemünde

The training at Tegeler See with similar conditions and shifty breezes paid-off big-time for the Joersfelder Segelclub team. “Since we train with the same line-up every week, we know very well what makes the others tick. And we kept calm in the boat, which is particularly important given the conditions,” explained Daniel Schwarze.

Following the races, the prizes for the eSailing J/70 Bundesliga powered by BAY were awarded on Saturday. The Mühlenberger Segelclub happily accepted the set of sails from our partner Fritz Segel, sponsored by the title sponsor BAY. The next two places received prizes from Robline and Marinepool; the runner-up Bodensee-Yacht-Club Überlingen and third place team Düsseldorf Yacht Club.


DAY 2
The ONE Kiel team once again demonstrated their skills on the second match day of the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga. In difficult conditions on the Wannsee, with weak winds from multiple directions, the Kiel team defended their top position with remarkable consistency, taking five wins out of ten races. In the second division, the Joersfeld sailing club catapulted itself to first place.

Max Schuberth, ONE Kiel tactician, summed up the day in one word- "nerve-wracking". “The Wannsee demanded everything from all sailors, we don't have such conditions on the Baltic Sea. We had to concentrate for a very long time, and no one was immune from falling behind. In the end we won again- a great team effort,” commented a very happy Schuberth. The Segel und Motorboot Club Überlingen and the Chiemsee Yacht Club sailed well to take second and third places, respectively.

Despite the eighth place of his club, Frank Butzmann, Managing Director of the host Wansee Segel Club, was more than satisfied with the event. “We had a lot of fun welcoming the 36 clubs here. We're looking forward to the next time - who knows, maybe even to the final in 2021”!

In the second league, the Joersfeld Sailing Club won an amazing six out of nine races in a row, making up five places on the leaderboard. In addition to the front-runner Joersfeld, the teams from the Academic Sailing Club Warnemünde and the Bodensee-Yacht-Club Überlingen also enjoyed the conditions at Wannsee as they landed in second and third place, respectively.   Sailing Photo Credits- DSBL / Lars Wehrmann  For more J/70 Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

Württembergischer YC Tops SAILING Champions League Qualifier

(Tutzing, Germany)- It was an amazing, enthusiastic turn-out for the first, and only, 2020 SAILING Champions League Qualifying event in Tutzing, Germany for the grand finale in Porto Cervo, Italy at the spectacular Costa Smeralda YC. Twenty-two teams showed up to go sailing on Lake Starnberg, a beautiful lake surrounded by lush green mountains in the middle of Germany. For four days, the teams competed in a huge variety of weather, from no winds and sunny warm temperatures to strong winds, choppy waters and driving rain. 


After four days of sailing, the Württembergische Yacht-Club was able to prevail against all 22 competitors. Second place went to the Norddeutsche Regatta Verein, third place was taken by the team from Bordée de Tribord from Switzerland. In addition to the respective champions of the 19 national leagues who have already been determined as finalists, the twelve best clubs of the Tutzing Qualifier have now qualified for the SCL Final in Porto Cervo, Italy, from the 15th to 18th of October.


Under ever-changing conditions on Lake Starnberg, four clubs, the Norddeutsche Regatta Verein, Bordée de Tribord, the Regattaclub Oberhofen and the Württembergische Yacht-Club, went through to compete in the four-boat finale. At first, the Norddeutsche Regatta Verein dominated with a 1-2 tally. But, the Württembergische Yacht-Club closed the regatta with two bullets that were necessary for overall victory. Behind the top two German teams were two Swiss teams, third was Bordee de Tribord and fourth was Regattaclub Oberhofen.  Past SAILING Champions League overall winner- Deutscher Touring YC ended up in an uncharacteristic fifth place.

“We are totally overwhelmed,” explained Conrad Rebholz, helmsman of the winning WYC. “We always wanted to keep the freedom to make our own decisions, to concentrate only on ourselves and not be distracted. We didn’t expect it to work out so well in the end, but we’re all the more pleased.”


The following teams have qualified for the SCL final in Porto Cervo: 

• Württembergischer Yacht-Club, Germany
• Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Germany
• Bordée de Tribord, Switzerland
• Regatta Club Oberhofen, Switzerland
• Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club, Germany
• Wassersport-Verein Hemelingen, Germany
• Bocholter Yachtclub, Germany
• Segel- und Motorboot Club Überlingen, Germany
• Segelclub TWV Achensee, Austria
• Münchner Yacht-Club, Germany
• Mühlenberger Segel-Club, Germany
• Hjuviks Båtklubb, Sweden

Sailing Photo credits- Lars Wehrmann.  Sailing video highlights: 

• Day 1- https://youtu.be/ECD38tR5cBs
• Day 2- https://youtu.be/DOrwkxmOUF4
• Day 3- https://youtu.be/jc8iJ3YsD-k

For more SAILING Champions League sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

SAILING Champions League Qualifier- Tutzing

(Tutzing, Germany)- From 20 to 23 August the season opener of the SAILING Champions League (SCL) 2020 will take place in Tutzing at Lake Starnberg – at the Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club. It is the first qualifier in Germany since the SCL was launched in 2014 and after holding events in St. Petersburg, Palma de Mallorca, Porto Cervo and St. Moritz. This year’s final will be held in Porto Cervo, Italy, from 15 to 18 October.

Twenty-four clubs from 12 nations are going to start the SAILING Champions League in Tutzing this Thursday. “The enthusiasm among the athletes and sailing fans to finally start racing again is great. We are delighted that we have succeeded in getting the first SCL event in Germany off the ground,” says Anke Lukosch, SCL Project Manager, looking forward to the event.

In addition to the top finishers of the national leagues from 2019, clubs were able to apply for a wildcard for this year's edition. Anke Lukosch explains the decision, “due to the current worldwide pandemic regulations and travel restrictions, some teams had to withdraw their participation at short notice. With the awarding of wildcards, clubs that could not qualify for the SCL directly now have the unique opportunity to compete with the best sailing clubs in Europe”.

The SCL Qualifier can be followed via Livestream on Saturday, 22 August, and Sunday, 23 August, from 12:00 PM (CEST) on Facebook, YouTube and sailing-championsleague.com.

After the first day of racing, the German clubs are leading. Despite light wind conditions, there was a lot going on the water and every meter was fought in the four races with the result of three penalties and one crash. The hosting club, the Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club, was able to make full use of its home advantage and sailed to first place in its race. The Norddeutsche Regatta Verein and the Segel- und Motorboot Club Überlingen, both also from Germany, are at the top of the table, too, and lead with equal points with the host. More news soon!  Sailing Photo credits- Lars Wehrmann  For more SAILING Champions League sailing information

SAILING Champions League New Schedule Announcement

(Kiel, Germany)- The SAILING Champions League (SCL) has shortened the SCL Series 2020 to one qualifier and the final due to the COVID-19 regulations and the worldwide travel restrictions. From 20 to 23 August, the only qualifier of the 2020 season, will take place in Tutzing, Germany. The final from 15 to 18 October in Porto Cervo, Italy, will be held as planned. The two planned qualifiers in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Mariehamn, Finland, are cancelled without replacement.

“We held on to the three qualifier dates for a long time in the hope that conditions would improve. As things stand at present, however, the worldwide travel possibilities are so limited that we now had to take appropriate steps,” says Anke Lukosch, Project Manager of SCL.


The winners of the national leagues from 2019 automatically qualify for the final in Porto Cervo at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. In Tutzing on Lake Starnberg, as a guest of Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club, the second and third place finishers of each national league will have the chance to fight their way into the top 11 and thus get a ticket to the final.

“The shortened mode is certainly not an ideal scenario, but nevertheless, we're looking forward to welcoming the best clubs from a total of 19 nations to the final in Porto Cervo,” commented Lukosch. “We are grateful for the flexibility of all the sailors and the numerous clubs and their representatives who have worked with us over the last few weeks to plan and prepare every conceivable scenario”.

NOTE- Due to the exceptional situation in this year’s league sailing season, there are still starting places available – a unique chance to enter the competition of the world’s best sailing clubs. Interested sailing clubs irrespective of nationality can send their application now directly to- email- info@sailing-championsleague.com.  Sailing Photo credits: SCL/Sailing Energy  For more SAILING Champions League sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Cool 360 Panoramas of J/99 and J/112E Online!

(Les Sables d'Olonne, France)- Dreaming of sailing fast and having your cake (& comfort) too? Experience a very cool "virtual boat show" of the J/99 and the J/112E online. After February's amazing Boot Dusseldorf Boat Show (remember when?), our J/Composites team in Les Sables d'Olonne worked with a French 3D image team to produce a very cool exploration of both the J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster and the beautiful J/112E offshore cruiser-racer (a World Champion in IRC/ ORC). 

The J/99's performance and capabilities have been widely recognized by the world's yachting press as a truly fun, fast, evolutionary boat from the J/Design and J/Composites build teams. Recent awards include the SAIL's Best Boats- Performance Award, SAILING WORLD's Boat of the Year- Best Crossover Boat, and the British Yachting Awards - Performance Yacht award.


To explore the J/99 deck and interior, click on this link here.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?
No question the J/112E is fast. How fast? While designed principally for "sport cruising," in just a few seasons, the J/112E has managed to the win several prestigious international events including the 2018 IRC European Championship and the 2018 IRC/ORC World Championship. She has a unique, perhaps unequalled performance and comfort level unattainable by others; in the automotive world, a Mercedes AMG/ BMW M/ Tesla wrapped by the comfort of five-star Hotel George V in Paris....why not? You deserve it.


To explore the J/112E deck and interior, please click on this link here:
Add to Flipboard Magazine.

ONE Kiel Tops German J/70 Segel-Bundesliga

(Kiel, Germany)- As the hosts for the first 2020 Germany J/70 Segel-Bundesliga that took place this past weekend in Kiel, from July 17 to 19, the three Kiel clubs (Baltic Sailing Club, Kiel Sailing Association and TSV Schilksee) did not expect that one of their hometown teams would end up eclipsing the fleet of eighteen teams.


After sixteen races for each team over three days, it was Team ONE Kiel's young team led by skipper Magnus Simon that dominated the first weekend of sailing.

"We didn't expect that things would go so well for us," says Sören Brandt from Team ONE Kiel. “We approached race after race with a clear head and confidently positioned ourselves tactically. It worked really well, better than we expected!"


Following them on the podium was the Segel-und Motorboat Club Uberlingen, just beating long-time rivals Wassersport-Verein Hemeligen by just one point.  Rounding out the top five was a past DSBL champion in fourth place- Norddeutscher Regatta Verein- and in fifth place was Wurttembergischer YC in fifth position.

In the second division, the Bodensee-Yacht-Club Überlingen led by helmsman Konstantin Steidle took the lead. The Hamburg Sailing Club and the Mühlenberger Sailing Club took second and third place.


The start of the Sailing Bundesliga season was the first sailing event since the Covid-19 pandemic broke in Kiel in March 2020 and is seen as a pioneer for further sailing events in the 2020 season.

Anke Lukosch, Project Leader of the Sailing Bundesliga, is satisfied with the first weekend of sailing; “our hygiene concept was approved by the athletes and they implemented in an exemplary manner. I am particularly pleased that, despite the corona regulations, top-class sport could be seen and the league feeling could be fully lived again."


All sailors are now preparing for the next DSBL regatta taking place from August 28th to 30th in Berlin, sailing on the Wannsee.  Sailing Photo credits: DSBL / Lars Wehrmann   For more German J/70 Segel-Bundesliga sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

German J/70 Segel-Bundesliga Starts in Kiel

(Kiel, Germany)- The first day of the 2020 Germany J/70 Segel-Bundesliga is taking place this weekend in Kiel, from July 17 to 19. Three Kiel clubs are organizing the season opener in Kiel-Schilksee: The Baltic Sailing Club, the Kiel Sailing Association and TSV Schilksee.

The original start for the sailing league was supposed to be on the Chiemsee. The move to Kiel and sailing on the Baltic Sea was a popular choice and welcomed by virtually all the sailing clubs.

“After a long wait, everyone is happy that sailing events in Kiel can start again. The athletes are already in the starting blocks to duel again on the water,” said Mr. Lukosch, the Segel-Bundesliga Manager of Operations.


On the first day of sailing, the northern German clubs dominated the eighteen teams in attendance. Under bright sunshine, the light winds and coronavirus regulations could not spoil the joy of everyone involved.

The boats were on the water from 11:00 AM until early evening. After 18 high-energy races, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein was ahead with 10 points, followed by the Hemelingen Water Sports Club and the ONE Kiel Team.

Thirty-six more races are scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. Racing starts at 10:00 AM. The races will be broadcast live between 12 noon and 4:00 PM (European time).   Sailing Photo credits: DSBL / Lars Wehrmann  For more German J/70 Segel-Bundesliga sailing information

Muhlenberger Segel-Club Crowned Champions of e-Sailing Bundesliga!

(Hamburg, Germany)- On Friday evening, the Hamburg club confidently prevailed against its eleven competitors in the heartbeat final of the e-Sailing Bundesliga powered by BAY. As the top-ranked sailing club in Germany, the Mühlenberger Sailing Club can call itself "e-Sailing Master of the Sailing Clubs". The runner-up was the Lake Constance Yacht Club Überlingen. Third place went to the Düsseldorf Yacht Club.

Over seven days of matches, a total of 68 clubs qualified for the final. Then, during the finale, the top twelve finalists competed against each other in three races to determine the four teams that ultimately fought for overall victory in the Final Series.

The duo of Philipp Schrader and Timon Treichel from the Düsseldorf Yacht Club dominated the first races and confidently secured a place for the Final Series alongside Tim Federspiel and Lukas Ammon from the Württemberg Yacht Club and Jonathan Koch from the Bodensee Yacht Club Überlingen. Hamburg-based Till Krüger from the Mühlenberger Segel-Club was the only one of seven northern clubs represented in the final.

In the final series, Mühlenberg and Überlingen each won their third race to qualify for the heartbeat final. With another win, Mühlenberg, Überlingen and Düsseldorf could have won the overall victory. However, after a tough and exciting duel with Überlingen, the Mühlenberg sailing club finally prevailed and became the first club to become the "e-Sailing Master of the Sailing Clubs."

“It's an extremely cool format. We loved the eSailing Bundesliga series event and proud for our home club," said Till Krüger.

The races were broadcast live on YouTube, Facebook and Segelbundesliga.de and followed by eSailing and league fans across Germany.

"The success of the series, both in terms of the number of participating clubs and the media attention, has shown great interest in the virtual version of the Bundesliga. There will certainly be a continuation at the national level,” said Oliver Schwall, Managing Director of the Segel-Bundesliga. "Other countries such as Italy and Denmark have already adapted the format. So, implementation at the international level is conceivable as a counterpart to the SAILING Champions League."

After the e-Sailing season is over, the league clubs are now fully concentrated on preparing for their first on-the-water racing for the 2020 sailing season. The season start of the German J/70 Segel-Bundesliga will take place on July 17th at the Chiemsee Yacht Club in Prien, Germany.  Sailing Photo credits: DSBL/ Lars Wehrmann.  For more Deutsche J/70 Segel-Bundesliga information. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

NOTICIA Wins the Villalia J/70 Vigo Winter Series

MARNATURA Takes Final Act V
(Vigo, Spain)- The Real Club Náutico De Vigo hosted the five event Villalia J/70 Vigo Winter Series. The finale was an epic one, with the fleet treated to 15 to 25 knot winds from the south to southwest all weekend long, with the RCNV PRO managing to run just four races in the somewhat extreme wave conditions.

Winning the final weekend was Luis Bagallo Arriola's MARNATURA 1 team (Gerardo Prego, Alberto Basadre and Javier de la Gándara) from the host club by posting an impressive 4-1-1-1 in the wild waters offshore. Second was two-time J/80 World Champion Pichu Torcida from Real Club Maritimo de Santander, sailing his NOTICIA team to a 2-8-2-2 tally. Then, third was determined on a tie-breaker between Gonzalo Araujo's LAGUARDIA & MOREIRA and Luis Albert's PATAKIN, with Araujo's team winning the countback. 


As a result of the final weekend's results, it was Torcida's NOTICIA that was proclaimed the Villalia J/70 Vigo Winter Series Champion! The balance of the podium included Bugallo Arriola's MARNATURA 1 in second and Araujo's LAGUARDIA & MORERIRA in third. The rest of the hotly contested top five included Luiz Perez Canal's ABRIL VERDE in fourth place and Albert's PATAKIN in fifth place. Note that Rayco Tabares from the Canary Islands (himself a two-time J/80 World Champion) was crewing on ABRIL VERDE and Hugo Rocha (a Spanish Olympic Gold Medallist) was crewing on Albert's PATAKIN...not many "shrinking violets" in that fleet!  For more Villalia J/70 Vigo Winter Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.