The hot favourites from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein had travelled to the final event of the 14th Bundesliga season with an eleven-point lead. The thick cushion they wouldn’t have needed them at all, as Tobias Schadewaldt, Klaas Höpcke, Luisa Krüger and Henrik Peters also won the final on Lake Wannsee, hosted by the Seglerhaus am Wannsee sailing club, with 27 points, ahead of the Düsseldorf Yacht Club (30 points) and the Bavarian Yacht Club (32 points). Click here for the event standings.
With their fourth event victory, they secured their ninth Bundesliga title
With this result, the quartet catapulted their club into a league of its own after six events this season, having accumulated just twelve points. An impressive 23-point lead over the second-placed Joersfelder Segel-Club (35 points) and a 28-point advantage over the third-placed Münchner Yacht-Club (40 points), securing the Alsterverein’s ninth championship title since their maiden triumph in 2013. The 2024 champions from the Mühlenberger Segel-Club (41 points) missed out on the season’s podium by just one point. Click here for the league table for the top-flight teams.
The crews from the North German Regatta Club won four out of six events this season, never left any doubt as to their title ambitions. Only their start to the season, with a sixth-place finish, had not quite gone to plan. After that, they recorded nothing but victories and a second-place finish. Even on the final league sailing day of the year – when, following a sunny but light-wind Friday, it rained in Berlin on Saturday but the wind returned in fine form at eight to 15 knots – the NRV dominated proceedings and ended the league season with one final race victory.
The biggest title collector in the NRV team is Klaas Höpcke, who played an active part in all nine of the Hamburg team’s titles. The most successful coxswain is, and remains, Tobias Schadewalt, who lifted the championship trophy for the seventh time with his Norddeutscher Regatta Verein – this time into the sky above Berlin. Luisa Krüger celebrated the team’s achievement for the fifth time. For Henrik Peters, this Bundesliga success was a first.
Bundesliga sailing is very popular at the NRV
NRV club manager Klaus Lahme summed up the season with great enthusiasm: “It’s been a fantastic season for us, and I’m proud of the team. We’ve once again sailed the six race days with a strong squad of 13 sailors. And I’m delighted that league sailing has held such an important place at the NRV for the past 14 years. Many thanks to our friends at the VSaW for the fantastic finale.”
“Next year, we’re very much looking forward to welcoming all the Bundesliga clubs to the beautiful Außenalster to mark the end of the season.” Klaus Lahme
NRV coxswain and key to the team’s success, Tobias Schadewaldt, explained late on Saturday afternoon at the VSaW why it wasn’t the walk in the park to the title that outsiders might have assumed it would be for his team. The 2012 Olympic 11th-place finisher said: “It looked simple and straightforward – but it wasn’t. This day’s racing on the Wannsee demanded everything from us, physically and, above all, mentally. Mentally, it was extremely demanding.”
“In tricky, changeable wind conditions, you have to stay wide awake in every single race, you can’t afford to make any mistakes, and yet you still have to sail boldly.” Tobias Schadewaldt
A month after his 42nd birthday, Tobi Schadewaldt said at the capital city final: “Standing here now with the league trophy is an incredible feeling that I still can’t quite take in. “Thank you to the NRV, to my team and to the whole league team – it wouldn’t have been possible without you.”
A Bundesliga thriller over promotion
The most thrilling decision at Wannsee came in the lower division during this final Bundesliga weekend of the season. The battle there was for the four promotion places, with half a dozen clubs still in contention in the final stages, separated by just a few points. The Konstanz Yacht Club remained unshaken throughout. The Lake Constance sailors dominated the fifth and final second-tier event and so they surged to the top the season’s standings.
Behind them, the Lübeck Yacht Club, the Neuruppin Regatta Sailors, the host club Seglerhaus am Wannsee, the Ville Sailing Club, the Flensburg Sailing Club and the Warnemünde Academic Sailing Club battled it out until the very last race for the remaining three places. In the end, the Neuruppin Regatta Sailors (27 points), the Lübeck Yacht Club (28 points) and the Ville Sailing Club (31 points) came out on top.
The Warnemünde Academic Sailing Club, the VSaW and the Flensburg Sailing Club narrowly missed out on promotion, each finishing on 33 points. The Konstanz Yacht Club, the Lübeck Yacht Club, the Neuruppin Regatta Sailors and the Ville Sailing Club will be competing at the top level in the upcoming Bundesliga season.
A new generation takes over in the VSaW Bundesliga team
“For the VSaW, this season has marked a generational change. Our juniors finished second in the German Junior Sailing League. Our Bundesliga team, with helmswoman Catharina Schaaff, fought for promotion right up to the very last race. This time, we just fell short. Nevertheless, I am very proud of the team. We’re on the right track, and we’ll be back in the running in 2027,” says Marlene Raabe-Steinherr, deputy chair of the Seglerhaus am Wannsee sailing club.
Four first-division clubs have been relegated to the 2. Bundesliga: the Klub am Rupenhorn, the Entdecker- und Seefahrer Fördervereinigung, the Segler-Vereinigung Wuppertal and the Segler-Vereinigung Itzehoe. The Württembergischer Yacht-Club has avoided relegation, having pulled itself out of the relegation zone with a strong finish.
Beyond the battle for points and league positions, one team in the 2nd Bundesliga continues to embody inclusion in sailing: with the BAT Sailing Team, the club ‘Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V.’ remains a successful, inclusive crew. The team sailed consistently in mid-table throughout the season, finishing the 2026 season in tenth place and thus comfortably securing their place in the division.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter