That was close. Closer than ever before in the 13-year history of the Bundesliga. The Norddeutscher Regatta Verein had already won the championship trophy in its debut season in 2013. This weekend, the Hamburg team hoarded their eighth title on Berlin's Wannsee. Joersfelder Segel-Club finished runners-up. As the surprise team of the season, the Berliners were beaten on equal points at the summit. Third place for the season was secured by Mühlenberger Segel-Club, the defending champions.
Bundesliga: Hamburg win the title in Berlin
A total of 13 sailors and four different helmsmen have led the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein to league success this season. On the final and decisive weekend, the crew led by 22-year-old Mats Schönbeck, who won the title of International German Champion in the J/70 class with the team last year and was a member of the NRV first division squad this season, vouched for this.
Almost his entire champion crew was recruited again for the final of the Bundesliga: Henrik Peters and Moritz Gießelmann are now celebrating their second major German title together with their helmsman. Only Ferdinand Pfund was not there in 2024. Mats Schönbeck and his NRV team-mates have enjoyed a series of successes in the first league season right from the start, making a significant contribution to winning their eighth club championship with event placings 2, 1 and 1.
The highlight of the weekend was the victory on the Wannsee. However, not all of the races could be held. There was also no race in which the NRV, JSC and MSC would have met. The NRV won the Berlin final with four race wins in twelve rounds and 29 points in the event account ahead of the Jorsfelder Segel-Club (32 points). The team from Mühlenberger Segel-Club (36 points), also still in contention for the club championship, took fifth place in the sixth and final event of the Bundesliga season.
From NRV laser school to league ace
The Berlin results meant that there was a tie on points in the final league table. The NRV won title number eight after three event victories this season with 24 points in its account, just ahead of the Joersfelder Segel-Club, which had collected just as few points. "We had difficult conditions in Berlin, but we found our feet on the first day. The strong wind at the beginning suited us, but then it got tricky," said NRV helmsman Mats Schönbeck, looking back on the capital city event.
Like many of his crew mates, Schönbeck is a scion of the classic NRV Laser school. After winning the Junior League this season, the NRV has now achieved the Junior-Senior League double for the first time. This was not a matter of course, as the Alster sailors had suffered setbacks in the second half of the Bundesliga with tenth and ninth place in events four and five on the Wannsee. Accordingly, the mood rose sharply with the triumph. "We are very happy about the title, we were still a bit nervous today because Joersfelder has sailed many first places," said Mats Schönbeck.
The hosts from the Berlin Yacht Club were delighted to take third place in the event on the Wannsee. had sensationally started the league year as winners of the opening event in Kiel and have now finished eighth. It should also be noted that the three best first division teams this season formed a league of their own in terms of points. There was a gap of 16 points between third-placed MSC (26 points) and fourth-placed Münchner Yacht-Club (42 points). The top trio set the bar high in 2025.
The relegated and promoted teams in the Bundesliga
The Seglerhaus am Wannsee club, in sixteenth place in the table at the end of the season, and the Konstanzer Yacht-Club, in 15th place, were just as unable to save themselves from relegation on the last weekend of the league, finishing in 13th place on their home turf. The Akademischer SeglerVerein Warnemünde (17th) and the Seglervereinigung von 1903 Berlin (18th) will also be relegated to the 2nd German Sailing League.
"We had the entire weather spectrum over the three days and utilised almost every Beaufort indicator," said Sailing Bundesliga manager Anke Nowak, summarising the last Bundesliga showdown of the year. This also explains why not all races could take place. "On the first day we had storms with gusts of over 40 knots, so we had to interrupt the races after the J/70s threatened to capsize under jib only. Yesterday there was less wind with lots of gusts, but today the wind unfortunately dropped bit by bit, so we had to pull 'AP over Alpha' at 3.08 pm and the championship was over after twelve flights."
The Bocholter Yacht-Club secured victory in the 2nd Bundesliga season. The Württembergische Yacht-Club (WYC) was runner-up. The Segler-Vereinigung Wuppertal fought for third place. Together with the fourth-placed Entdecker- und Seefahrer-Fördervereinigung, all three clubs are promoted to the 1st Bundesliga.
Six second division years for the 1st Bundesliga
"We are super happy to have finally made it into the 1st Bundesliga," said Thorsten Willemsen. The helmsman for Bocholter Yacht-Club explained: "We've had six exhausting years in the 2nd league with lots of training and the right motivation." Essener Turn- und Fechtclub won the last match day in the 2nd Sailing Bundesliga ahead of Entdeckern und Seefahrern and SC Hansa Münster.
The exciting final races were broadcast live on the Sailing Bundesliga YouTube channel. On the final day, the experienced BYC race director Lorenz Buchler and MSC Bundesliga helmsman Till Krüger hosted the event the decisive races, which can be seen here in the replay. The final of the Sailing Bundesliga 2025 was organised jointly by the Berliner Yacht-Club and the Seglervereinigung von 1903 Berlin. The Halloween party kicked off the fun programme on Friday evening at SV03. The championship celebration will take place this Saturday evening at the Berlin Yacht Club.
"We have a successful season behind us, the clubs have shown sailing at a top level," said Sailing Bundesliga initiator Oliver Schwall, summarising the season. "We would like to thank our partners, the organising clubs and the many volunteers for their support on the water and on land. Together with them, we have built up a highly professional sailing league over the past 13 years, which has now been adapted in over 21 other sailing nations and is still a role model today."
