However, the podium on this third day of racing also featured a team with a ten-year-old sailor on board: Team Sophia finished third, behind the overall winner and Alster HSC, whose crew included the third-placed team from the 2026 Para-European Championships. This is possible because, in this series, no one is categorised according to the nature of their disability: all crews sail the same boats, in the same races, and are included in the same results list.
The Royal Yacht Club Warche in East Belgium hosted the third day of racing. A total of 21 teams from four nations competed in the overall standings.
A series, a list of results
Sailing takes place according to inclusion rules that were developed specifically for this joint regatta sport years ago. They are deliberately kept simple: at least one member of each crew must have a disability. There is no categorisation based on the type of disability, nor are there separate classes or separate rankings. In this context, participation does not mean making allowances, but rather equal conditions – whoever wins is the one who has sailed the better races.
Since para-sailing was dropped from the Paralympic programme following the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, the series has been one of the few platforms for ambitious inclusive regatta sailing in Europe.
The fact that the model has an impact beyond the world of regatta sailing was already evident on the Friday before the final: a school class from Bütgenbach had come to the lake for a trial sail – in everything from Optimists to RS Venture Connects.
Matchday 3 in Bütgenbach
Lake Bütgenbach didn’t make things easy for the crews: the wind kept shifting throughout the day, so no advantage lasted long. On Saturday, sailing took place from 10.30 am to 6.00 pm – 18 races in a single day, with each of the nine teams competing in ten races. This demanded just as much from the sailors as it did from the team on shore and on the support boats. On Sunday, there were nine more races. This brought the total for the weekend to 27 races, with each team competing in 15. The prize-giving ceremony took place at 3.30 pm.
“A new country, a new sailing area and lots of exciting regattas. Belgium was a very special end to the season for Sophia. The highlight for her was being able to sail alongside her coach, Calle. We can see how, from regatta to regatta, she gets more and more caught up in the excitement, and just how much joy and ambition she brings to her sport. For us, it’s wonderful to be able to support her on this journey,” said Sophia’s mother, Sandra Hein.
The 2026 overall standings
Scoring is based on the low-point system over the three match days: the daily placings are added together, and the player with the fewest points wins. In the event of a tie, the best result on any single match day will be the deciding factor.
The Norwegian crew Salto were the most consistent of the season: second place in Hamburg, victory in Sassnitz, victory in Bütgenbach. Second place went to Team Alster HSC from the Hamburg Sailing Club, with Dirk Thalheim and Stephanie Brix, whilst third place went to the BLAG Sailing Team from the Belgian hosts, with Alexandre Grosjean and Benoît Lumay. Team Sophia finished the season in ninth place in the overall standings.
Tough conditions – but we wouldn’t have it any other way. A brilliant regatta!”
(Stian Kristiansen, skipper of SALTO SAILING Team Norway)
Hosts in Belgium
The final was organised by the Royal Yacht Club Warche: a small club whose large team of volunteers spent days preparing a full regatta weekend – alongside the club’s day-to-day running. It is this hospitality that will be remembered from Bütgenbach, alongside the results. The main organiser on site was Alexandre Grosjean, who also competed as skipper of the BLAG Sailing Team. The Race Committee on the water was made up of German and Belgian volunteers from both countries – and it all ran smoothly across 27 races.
Respect and fair play are values that form the very essence of sailing. This regatta has shown us that sailing is a sport in which inclusion also has its place.”
(Eric Mathieu, President of the Royal Yacht Club Warche)
Opening remarks at the prize-giving ceremony were given by Sonja Fickers, a member of the management team of the ‘People to People’ Small Project Fund at Euregio Maas-Rhein – which had funded the final – and Kathy Elsen from the municipality of Bütgenbach. Both welcomed the guests and thanked all the partners involved for making this match day in Belgium possible.
Outlook for 2027
“The Heinz Kettler Germany Cup demonstrates that inclusion in sport is most compelling when it becomes the norm: identical boats, identical races and a single ranking system. The fact that we have, for the first time, taken the final beyond Germany’s borders to Belgium is therefore an important next step for us. Together with our partners, we want to continue developing the series in the long term, build stronger international networks and, in doing so, inspire even more people, with and without disabilities, to take up sailing together. The Heinz Kettler Foundation will continue to provide long-term support for this initiative,” said Andreas Sand, Chairman of the Heinz Kettler Foundation.
The series will enter its fifth season in 2027. A race day is planned at the Möhnesee Yacht Club, which founded the series in collaboration with the Heinz Kettler Foundation and Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V. A race day is also scheduled for 10–12 August 2027 in Sassnitz, running alongside the SailGP and in cooperation with the Germany SailGP Team.
Partners and Sponsors
The series is named after and primarily sponsored by the Heinz Kettler Foundation. The founders and organisers are the Möhnesee Yacht Club, the Heinz Kettler Foundation and Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V. The first round was hosted by the Hamburg Sailing Club, whilst the final was hosted by the Royal Yacht Club Warche. The first race day in Hamburg was supported by Hamburg Active City, whilst the second race day in Sassnitz – which took place alongside the SailGP – was supported by the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and many other sponsors. Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V. is a Purpose Partner of the Germany SailGP Team. The final in Bütgenbach was organised as part of the ‘People to People’ Small Project Fund under Interreg Maas-Rhine (NL-BE-DE) and funded by the European Union.
About the Heinz Kettler Germany Cup
The Heinz Kettler Deutschland Cup is Germany’s first and only national inclusive regatta series. First held in 2023, the series entered its fourth season in 2026.
The boats in the RS Venture Connect class are provided by the organiser – no team needs to own or transport their own boat. In 2025, an inclusive regatta was held in Sassnitz for the first time, running alongside SailGP; in the same year, the Heinz Kettler Inclusive Youth Sailing Team Germany was founded, where young sailors with and without disabilities are trained together in competitive sailing.
Founded in 1999, the Heinz Kettler Foundation puts the principle of inclusion between recreational sport and sport for people with disabilities into practice and supports projects at regional and national level – without restriction as to sport, age or gender.