​Kieler Woche 2026: Hungary takes the lead at the FD World Championships – Scheidt shines in the ILCA 6

Summery conditions make for a full day of racing

After a calm start, the Kiel Fjord showed itself at its best on Friday. With temperatures around 28 degrees and a moderate easterly breeze, almost all the scheduled races were held across seven regatta courses. A total of 48 races in nine international classes were on the programme.

​Friday’s highlights

• Flying Dutchman: The Hungarians Szabolcs Majthenyi and András Domokos have taken the lead in the World Championship with two race wins, ahead of Kay-Uwe Lüdtke and Kai Schäfers.
• 29er Eurocup: Blanka Sójkowska and Julia Nagórska from Poland have retained their top spot in the Gold Fleet.
• ILCA 6 Open: Brazilian Erik Scheidt has taken the lead in the overall standings with two stage wins.
• ILCA 4: Despite being disqualified for a false start in the fourth race, Quirin Klapper continues to lead the field.
• OK dinghy: Surprisingly, Sebastian Schmidt-Klügmann is in the lead, whilst Paralympic champion Heiko Kröger is in 17th place.
• J/70: Two Danish crews are tied on points, whilst protests against the teams in third and fourth place are still pending.
• Wingfoiling: Yannik Holste remains the overall leader after a shortened day of racing; the third race has been cancelled.

YACHT reported on the previous days of the Kiel Week 2026.

Majthenyi and Domokos take the lead in the FD World Championships

There has been a change at the top of the Flying Dutchman World Championship. Hungary’s Szabolcs Majthenyi and András Domokos, 15-time world champions, have taken the overall lead after winning two races.

Kay-Uwe Lüdtke and Kai Schäfers currently have the best chance of winning the German title. The crew from the Yachtclub Berlin-Grünau and the Hannoverscher Yacht-Club sailed consistently to second place in the three daily races and are also in second place in the overall standings. They are followed by Nicola and Francesco Vespansiani from Italy. The Danish brothers Jørgen and Jacob Bojsen-Møller, who were still in the lead after the first day of racing, have dropped back to fifth place.

Poland defends its lead ahead of the Gold Fleet

In the 29er Eurocup, Blanka Sójkowska and Julia Nagórska from Poland maintained their lead. The pair will therefore head into the Gold Fleet, which begins on Saturday, as the leaders.

Behind the Polish pair come the Australians Mia Austin and Zara Marks, followed by the Argentinians Maximo Baudoino and Juan Ignacio Cernadas. As far as the Germans are concerned, David Plettner and Moritz Aigner are in fourth place overall after two stage wins and are therefore still in contention for a podium finish.

Erik Scheidt takes the overall lead in the ILCA 6 class

Erik Scheidt put in one of the strongest performances of the day in the ILCA 6 Open. The 16-year-old Brazilian won two of the four races, thereby taking the overall lead.

The son of five-time Olympic medallist Robert Scheidt will therefore take to the water on Saturday wearing the yellow jersey. Behind him are Viktorija Andrulyte from Lithuania and Viktor Elfving from Sweden. The top German is Luisa Helene Kloss from the Müggelsee Sailing Club, in fourth place.

In the ILCA-4 class, too, a German sailor is leading after four races. Quirin Klapper from the Munich Yacht Club is at the top of the standings despite being disqualified for a false start in the fourth race. He is followed by Nikos Beckmann from Kiel and Clara Mattik from Hamburg.

Surprises in the OK dinghy class and excitement in the J/70 class

Sebastian Schmidt-Klügmann from Dortmund caused a stir in the OK dinghy class, leading the overall standings ahead of the Danes Jesper Bendix and Steen Christensen. Paralympic champion Heiko Kröger, who is competing in the OK dinghy for the first time at this year’s Kiel Week, is currently in 17th place after the first few races.

In the J/70 class, two Danish teams are tied at the top of the standings. Kim Gardø Christensen leads ahead of Sten Mohr on the basis of better individual race results. Willi Sörensen from Hamburg moved up to third place, whilst Kai-Uwe Hollweg, who had been in first place the previous day, dropped to fourth. However, both crews still had pending protest proceedings on Friday evening. In the J/24 class, the Dutch team led by Dirk Olyslagers retains the lead.

Wingfoil riders complete a short programme

At the Wingfoil German Open, only three races could be started due to the wind dropping. The third race was later cancelled after no one had completed the designated course correctly.

Nevertheless, Yannik Holste from Surf Club Kiel is currently in the lead. Kiel Week also serves as a qualifying regatta for the wingfoilers ahead of the test event in Gdynia in mid-July. The German Sailing Association will be awarding three starting places for the men and one place for the top-ranked woman at that event. Jette Koep from Kiel currently holds that position.

Decisions are drawing nearer

With the start of the Gold Fleet in the 29er Eurocup and the remaining races in the international classes, Kiel Week enters its decisive phase on Saturday. In several categories, the top teams are separated by just a few points, meaning that numerous outcomes remain to be decided ahead of the final day.

Here Click here to view the results.

The battle for the titles is heating up: who will come out on top this weekend at Kieler Woche? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.