“This Helga Cup was very special for us: after a two-year break, we were back on the starting line. What looks easy from the outside is actually the result of years of hard work and training,” said helmswoman Silke Basedow, reflecting on her fifth victory since the event’s debut in 2018. Well-rehearsed with her team and a former successful match racer, Silke Basedow once again brought the best package to the table in the sport of sailing over this long weekend.
"I love playing as part of a team and winning. And it usually works out quite well." Silke Basedow
An exciting Helga Cup final on Hamburg’s Outer Alster
At the same time, however, Silke Basedow sent respectful regards to the defeated VSaW team after the final and candidly admitted: “And yet, in the end, we had a bit of luck and were able to take home the victory. The VSaW team would have deserved it just as much. The atmosphere on land and on the water was, as always, the real highlight. We met up with lots of old acquaintances and friends from the past and got to know some new faces.”
“The helpfulness, the interest and the mutual respect are truly unique. We’re already looking forward to next year’s anniversary.” Silke Basedow
Visiting the North German Regatta Club, whose Team Action organised the event on the water in collaboration with the Wir sind Wir club, the female sailors this year at the world's largest all-women's rowing regatta experienced a race day marked by strong winds and heavy rain at the summit. Third place on the podium went to the team from the Kiel Yacht Club, behind the Basedow crew, who were sailing for the Mammazentrum Foundation, and the Berlin team.
RS Venture Connect: Team Sophia wins ahead of Windsbräuten and Skyline Sisters
64 women’s teams competed in J/70 sailing boats, the same class used in the Bundesliga. They completed 67 races, including the final. Click here to view the results. At the same time, seven female pairs competed in twelve races in the RS Venture Connect inclusive class. Here, Team Sophia, comprising Sophia Hein and Talissa Hackbarth, came out on top against the Windsbräute and the Skyline Sisters. Click here to view the results on RS Venture Connect.
“We’re taking home loads of energy and memories.” Team Sophia
The Change Makers Race made its debut on Hamburg’s Außenalster, a new format set to become a staple of the women’s regatta in the coming years. The patron of the event is Aydan Özoğuz, an SPD Member of the German Bundestag from Hamburg, who chairs the Committee on Sport and Voluntary Work in the Bundestag.
Three women launched the Change Makers Race: Claudia Langenhan, well known to many female and male sailors across Germany as a member of the NRV office staff and as a race director at major regattas. Joining her are Juliane Timmermann, spokesperson for sports policy for the SPD parliamentary group, and Katharina von Kodolitsch, President of the Hamburg Sports Federation.
Helga will soon be a teenager
The idea: to bring together influential figures from the worlds of politics, sport, the media and society for a competition on the water and discussions on land. Among the participants was, for example, Mareike Miller, a member of the DOSB Executive Board and Paralympic champion in wheelchair basketball. The Change Makers Race was won by Team Helga, comprising skipper Jana Scherbarth, Jessica Staschen from the Zeit Foundation and Katharina von Kodolitsch.
Despite the sometimes harsh conditions over the weekend, many of the happy faces on the final day were already looking forward to next year’s anniversary. By the time the event reaches its tenth edition, Helga will be a teenager. Hamburg Active City has already designated the dates of 10–13 June 2027 as a top event. The regatta was launched in 2017 by Sven Jürgensen, who today also promotes inclusive sailing throughout Germany with the association Wir sind Wir.
“The Helga Cup is all about everyone being equal! And that’s brilliant!” That’s how the farewell video for the ninth edition begins:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
