During the first half of the 1st Bundesliga season, there was much to suggest that the defending champions from Mühlenberger Segel-Club and the record champions from Norddeutscher Regatta Verein would once again wrestle for the title of German club champion, as they did last year. But on this Berlin Wannse weekend, another contender, Joersfelder Segel-Club, has thrown the gauntlet into the ring.
Bundesliga 1: One title, three contenders
With six race wins and a total of twelve top-three finishes in 16 races, the Berlin team won the penultimate league summit on 38 points with a two-point lead over the host Potsdam Yacht Club (40 points). The reigning German club champions from Mühlenberger Segel-Club (47 points) followed in third place on the podium, nine points behind the Joersfeld team.
The MSC Elbsegler only just managed to beat the Konstanzer Yacht-Club and the Klub am Rupenhorn into fourth and fifth place, with all three clubs tied on points. By its standards, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (50 points) only managed ninth place in the capital city game.
What these results mean for the Standings in the 1st Bundesliga before the final from 30 October to 1 November, which will also be hosted by the Berlin Yacht Club and the Seglervereinigung 1903 on Wannsee? Above all, even more excitement, because two title contenders have become three. For the second division team from the Württembergischer Yacht-Club, on the other hand, all the tension has already dissipated: the Lake Constance club secured early promotion to the 1st Bundesliga.
Fresh Bundesliga wind in and from Berlin
This weekend has given the 13th Bundesliga season since the premiere in 2013 some fresh wind in and out of Berlin. League manager Anke Nowak said: "Both NRV and MSC struggled with the conditions, giving JSC a chance. JSC, on the other hand, put in a brilliant performance and are now level on points with MSC going into the final match day." The Berlin and Hamburg teams share the lead in the standings with 21 points each for the season.
Just two points behind them, however, lurks the NRV, which was not quite as successful this weekend. After seven titles in the league's history, the Alster sailors remain a constantly dangerous force on the home straight. The good thing about the new scenario for the fans is that the Bundesliga final will not be a pure duel situation in which only two clubs will be watching each other. "Now everything is open once again," said Anke Nowak. She added: "The championship trophy has been firmly in Hamburg's hands since 2020, and now it could go to Berlin."
At the bottom of the table, the Seglerhaus am Wannsee (VSaW), the Blankeneser Segel-Club (BSC), the Akademischer SegelVerein Warnemünde (ASVW) and the Berliner Seglervereinigung von 1903 (SV03) are all facing the threat of relegation. Here, too, the final match day will decide the outcome.
Varied conditions on the Wannsee
"Very tricky, very twisty - that shook up the entire league constellation," said JSC helmsman Daniel Schwarze, describing the sporting challenges at the weekend in the capital. His realisation: "The top 3 teams are now very close together. We are looking forward to the final and would like to thank the league team and the race organisers for the great event."
On Sunday evening, the 18 teams of the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga had three intensive days of sailing behind them on the Wannsee, which were characterised by very different sailing conditions. On Friday and Saturday, the Wannsee was "typical" - with shifting winds and light wind conditions. The wind then freshened considerably on Sunday: Gusty westerly winds gave the crews an endurance test to which they ideally responded with clean manoeuvres if they wanted to keep their J/70 yachts on course.
There were two winners in the 22nd Bundesliga: Bochholter Yacht-Club won the event ahead of Württembergischer Yacht-Club and Flensburger Segel-Club. "It was a very nice event for us. We got off to a strong start on Friday and it was tricky for all the teams on Saturday, but we were able to improve and extend our lead," said Kolja Paus from Bocholter YC. He continued: "This top result confirms the performance we already showed at the first event with the same crew constellation."
Early promotion to the upper house
The second division team from Württembergischer Yacht-Club had another very good reason to celebrate. Just ten points in their account paved the way for early promotion celebrations before the Wannsee final at the end of October. The sailors from SC Rheingau also had reason to celebrate: with their seventh place in Berlin, the newcomers to the German Sailing League secured their promotion. Click here for the Bundesliga 2 table after four of five events.
Thanks to the many dedicated volunteers, all the joint league meetings and celebrations on land at the Potsdam Yacht Club were as professional as they were cordial. On Saturday evening, the SC Rheingau hosted a wine tasting event. "The idea of bringing specialities from the clubs' home region to the match days came from SC Rheingau," explains Anke Nowak. "The excellent tasting, accompanied by a presentation on growing regions and flavours, was very well received by everyone." To overview about the 2025 Bundesliga season and the other dates can be found here.
