Bundesliga and Inclusion League weekend in Hamburg: Flensburger Segel-Club is the new leader

The Flensburger Segel-Club was the measure of all things at the second first division summit of the Bundesliga teams on Hamburg's Outer Alster at the weekend. The Northern Lights also took the lead in the standings. As on the first league weekend on Lake Constance, the wind also lacked stamina in the metropolis on the Elbe. Nevertheless, twelve of the maximum 16 races were contested by each club crew.

The Flensburger Segel-Club came in level on points with second-placed Wassersport-Verein Hemelingen from Bremen. The equal points total summarises the weekend well: After beautiful sailing conditions on Friday with eleven to twelve knots, the 18 first division clubs battled for the best placings on Saturday and Sunday in very light winds. Almost every club found itself in the top places at one point and then further down the rankings again.

Cedric Menzel from Flensburger Segel-Club (FSC), who was so successful with helmsman Gordon Nickel, Nils Drewniok and Tobias Konow, summarises: "It went really well for us. It was very exciting. As in previous years, everyone is very close together. We are all the happier now to have won. The season is still very long, of course, and the points gaps are still very small. We know how strong the competition is. It's a nice moment, but we know that it will be difficult at the end." In the table, the FSC is just one point ahead of ONEKiel and the Württembergischer Yacht-Club from Friedrichshafen in third place. Click here for the table (please click!).

Next weekend, from 9 to 11 July, the second division teams will once again be challenged on the picture-book waters of the Alster at the Hamburg Sailing Club. After the opening coup of the regatta sailors Neuruppin on Lake Constance, the Brandenburgers will be the hunted in Hamburg.

Practised inclusion and plenty of potential in the Inclusion League

At the premiere of the Inclusion League on 3 and 4 July, which was also organised by the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (North German Regatta Association) in parallel to the Bundesliga matches and took place under the patronage of Hamburg's Senator for the Interior and Sports Andy Grote, the 1st Lusatian Lakeland Water Sports Club from Saxony came out on top. Sailors with and without disabilities competed together in one boat in the exciting races. The seven teams were delighted. "We're happy, of course, and I'm especially happy because I always cross the finish line before my helmsman," joked the humorous foresailor Siegmund Mainka, who won the race together with Jürgen Brietzke for the 1st Lusatian Lakeland Water Sports Club.

The 2008 Paralympics winner continued: "This event has a lot of potential, we hope to have up to 18 clubs like in the Bundesliga. We all had a lot of fun, and that's also the point of this event: that everyone goes home happy. The fact that we mixed with the German Sailing League here is inclusion in action." Second place at the Inclusion League test event was secured by the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein with Paralympics winner Jens Kroker and Sabine Kroker. Paul König and Stefan Volkmann from Joersfelder Segel-Club sailed to third place. The organisers plan to discuss in the coming months how the Inclusion League will find its place in sailing.