​Travemünde Week 2026: RS-500 European Championship decided, Danes on the attack

The Travemünde Week 2026 has reached the halfway point and the sporting programme remains packed. On Wednesday, the attention of many visitors was initially focused on the Volksbank Rotspon Cup, the match race between Lübeck’s mayor, Jan Lindenau, and the President of the State Parliament, Kristina Herbst. At the same time, racing continued on the Baltic Sea to decide titles and interim standings.

DSV President Mona Küppers gave a positive interim assessment after spending several days at the venue. “How was it, in a word? Wonderful!” she said. She particularly highlighted the mix of young sailors, the wide range of boat classes and the inclusive RS Venture Connect championship. The race committee had continued racing until sunset on the third day to make the championship possible.

RS 500: All-British podium, women’s title goes to the Netherlands

In the RS 500 class, the new European champions have been decided after ten races. 47 competitors from eight nations lined up at the start in Travemünde. Unlike in some other RS classes, the field was not predominantly British; nevertheless, the podium in the overall standings remained entirely in British hands.

Paul Cullen and Fresh Abendstern took gold. Silver went to Peter and James Curtis, and bronze to Hugh and Luke Watson. The youth category had a more international line-up. Matteo Galgano Corni and Rafaello Spadini from Italy won, ahead of Thomas and Samuel Leather from Great Britain and Monika and Kristyna Krenkova from the Czech Republic.

In the women’s event, the new European champions are Daphne Somers and Melani de Bat from the Netherlands. Silver went to Monika and Kristyna Krenkova, and bronze to Anna Mosso and Camilla Parrinelli from Italy.

Folkeboot Gold Cup: The Danes are making headway across the board

Whilst the Vauriens spent their scheduled lay day ashore, the Folkeboats headed out into challenging conditions. Gusts of five to six on the Beaufort scale were no reason for the class to call off the day’s racing.

After the second day, Andreas Blank from Berlin is still narrowly holding onto the lead in the Folkeboot Gold Cup. However, a tenth-place finish has put him under pressure. A Danish group is forming right behind him: Per Hovmark and Per Buch are in second and third place respectively. Both have already won the Gold Cup three times and could secure their fourth victory off Travemünde. Michael Guldmann follows in fourth place, with Sören Kästel in fifth.

Kästel is one of the most influential figures in the class. The sailor from Hellerup, near Copenhagen, has already won the unofficial Folkboat world championship title six times, most recently last year on his home waters.

RS Feva World Championships kick off with 20 nations taking part

On Tuesday evening, the RS Feva class kicked off their World Championships with a flag parade at Priwall Harbour. Sailors from 20 nations marched onto the stage. A total of 142 competitors have entered the World Championships for these fast two-person dinghies.

On Wednesday, the first race took place on the course in gusty conditions. As the field is divided into three groups, there are three leading pairs after the opening race: Elin and Ants Haavel from Estonia, Kitty Bingham and Lottie Clifton from Great Britain, and Charlotte de Groot and Sven van Dartel from the Netherlands. The World Championships run until Sunday.

RS Aero: Four classes, with four nations leading the way

The RS Aero classes are also well underway. In the RS Aero 5 and RS Aero 6 classes, seven races have been sailed so far in the European and Youth World Championships. In the RS Aero 5 class, Jorgen Kuivonen from Estonia is in the lead. In the RS Aero 6 class, Sofia Naumenko from Ukraine is in the lead; she won the German Open in the RS Aero 7 class at Travemünde Week two years ago.

The RS Aero 7 and RS Aero 9 classes have each completed eight races. Aron Warnberg from Sweden and Baabii'o Flower from Canada are currently leading the way.

A small selection of RS Aero 5s also took to the Trave in the late afternoon. In the Volksbank Trave Race, the young Briton Fergus Anderson came out on top and won the prize money of 300 euros.

The Vaurien are taking a break; other RS classes are getting underway

The Vaurien class chose their lay day well. After two days of sailing featuring four races, the World Championships took a break on the very day that gusts of five to six Beaufort swept across the course out on the Baltic Sea. The organisers are expecting lighter to moderate winds and plenty of sunshine again on Thursday and Friday.

The next round of RS Games begins on Thursday. That’s when the European Championships for the RS 200, RS 400, RS Vareo and RS 21 get underway. The RS 21 class will also be competing in the Euro Cup, as will the RS 100 class. The day before, at Travemünde Week, Several RS titles have been awarded.