The record champions from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) continue to put the pedal to the metal in the 1st Bundesliga. After a slow start to the season for their team-mates with eleventh place in Hamburg, helmsman Tobias Schadewaldt and his crew have allowed the NRV to climb steeply towards the top of the table with two wins in a row in their two outings in Kiel and now in Travemünde. The North Germans are now only one point behind the returning leaders from Segel- und Motorbootclub Überlingen (SMCÜ), who had to let a few feathers fly this weekend with sixth place off Travemünde. The previous leaders from Mühlenberger Segel-Club (MSC) suffered a bigger setback on the Baltic Sea with 13th place. Behind NRV (13 points), the Elbe sailors are now in third place in the table with 18 points. Click here for the current first division table after three events (please click!).
With former Olympian Tobias Schadewaldt at the helm of the NRV and Daniel Reichart, Florian Weser and Klaas Höpcke in the boat, the five-time winners of the German Club Championship were able to confidently win the third regatta weekend of the 1st League off Travemünde. Eight victories in 14 races testified to this. The NRV quartet relegated the Berlin Yacht Club and the Düsseldorf Yacht Club to second and third place at the league meeting during the Travemünde Week. The decisions had already been made on Friday and Saturday in strong winds from the east and one and a half metre high waves. In the crisp conditions, 14 challenging flights were completed. No more races were possible on Sunday due to a calm. "We really challenged the sailors in the first two days and made a good start in view of the expected weak wind phase," said league organiser Oliver Schwall. His impression: "The atmosphere in our beach camp was great throughout the days, after the exhausting races everyone relaxed in the evening with beer and gin and tonic and had a great time together."
For NRV helmsman Tobias Schadewaldt, the success off Travemünde is primarily due to the well-coordinated team, good communication on board and a clean trim. "After we won the second match day off Kiel and the team has just won the Sailing Champions League in a different constellation, we want to continue the series at the next league event," said Tobias Schadewaldt in a winning mood. And he announced: "I will definitely be at the start again in September off Warnemünde."
A real coup: the first NRV victory in the Sailing Champions League
The NRV team with helmsman David Chapman, Luisa Krüger, 470 Olympic sailor Anastasiya Winkel alternating with Leon Passlack and Florian Thoelen had won the Sailing Champions League shortly before the third league weekend in the same area. The story behind this success is remarkable: after finishing fifth in the 1st Bundesliga last year, the NRV did not originally qualify for the Sailing Champions League. However, two days before the start of the final in Travemünde, the Hamburg team received a call asking whether they would like to move up after another crew had cancelled. Team manager Klaus Lahme and his team-mates began a feverish search for top sailors with time and put together a powerful crew. The last-minute and efficient mixed team with reinforcements from the NRV Olympic Team actually brought the Hanseatic team its first title on the international league stage. In the final of the best four clubs, the Hamburg team prevailed against the Finnish Åländska Segelsällskapet, the Danish Roskilde Sejlklub and the Swiss Regattaclub Bodensee. The NRV quartet made it as exciting as possible, because at the finish of the decisive fourth race, one boat length ahead was enough for triumph. Click here for the results of the Sailing Champions League final (please click!).
The Konstanzer Yacht-Club (KYC) was able to extend its lead in the 2nd German Sailing League this weekend. After two second places in Hamburg and Kiel, the team from Constance celebrated their first victory in Travemünde and have only five points on their best second league account after three events. Their closest pursuers are Akademischer SegelVerein Warnemünde (ASVW, 14 points) and Regatta-Segler Neuruppin (RSN, 15 points). "The three clubs have clearly demonstrated their ambitions for promotion right from the start," says Oliver Schwall. The league founder points out a special feature: "The Akademischer SegelVerein Warnemünde has one of the most successful helmswomen of this Bundesliga season at the tiller, Johanna Meier." Click here for the current second division table (please click!).
The next event for the crews of the 1st and 2nd German Sailing League will take place off Warnemünde from 9 to 11 September. After that, the fleet will switch from sea to inland waters. "The successful clubs from previous years were able to make full use of their experience, especially in the heavy waves off Travemünde," explains Oliver Schwall, "but it's not just the big clubs such as NRV, Berliner and Düsseldorfer Yachtclub that have scored valuable points in the battle for the championship title here, but also small clubs with well-rehearsed teams, such as the very familiar crew from Schlei Segel-Club.
