The national league season opens on Lake Constance off Friedrichshafen on 27 April. 144 sailors will meet in the south of Germany for the first summit for all 36 first and second division clubs. The host club is the Württembergische Yacht-Club (WYC), whose first division team has been preparing intensively for the sixth Bundesliga season since the premiere in 2013. WYC Team Manager Klaus Diesch said: "Our team has been well rehearsed in various training sessions with the other Lake Constance clubs and is perfectly prepared. We are hoping for consistent wind conditions, and who knows, maybe we can capitalise on our home advantage and end up on top of the podium."
In addition to the Württembergischer Yacht-Club, the Segel- und Motorboot Club Überlingen is the second premier league club from Baden-Württemberg. The Bavarian Yacht Club, the Chiemsee Yacht Club, the German Touring Yacht Club, the Lindau Sailing Club and the Munich Yacht Club have the highest number of first division clubs (5). Three come from the capital with the Seglerhaus am Wannsee, the Berliner Yacht-Club and the Klub am Rupenhorn. In addition to Baden-Württemberg, two clubs each represent Schleswig-Holstein (Flensburger Segel-Club, Seglervereinigung Itzhoe), Hamburg (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Blankeneser Segel-Club) and Bremen (Segelkameradschaft "Das Wappen von Bremen", Wassersport-Verein Hemelingen). One club each comes from North Rhine-Westphalia (Düsseldorfer Yacht-Club) and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Akademischer Segel-Verein Warnemünde).
In the 2nd Bundesliga, Schleswig-Holstein is sending the most teams into the new season with the Lübecker Segler-Verein von 1885, the Lübecker Yacht-Club, the Schlei-Segel-Club, the Segel-Club Eckernförde and the Seglervereinigung Gelting-Mole. Four teams come from Berlin with the Jorsfelder Segel-Club, the Potsdamer Yacht-Club, the Seglervereinigung 1903 and the long-established Yachtclub Berlin-Grünau, which was relegated last year. Two second division teams each come from Hamburg (Hamburger Segel-Club, Mühlenberger Segel-Club), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Schweriner Yacht-Club, Röbeler Segler-Verein "Müritz"), North Rhine-Westphalia (Segel-Club Sorpesee Iserlohn, Seglergemeinschaft Lohheider See) and Baden-Württemberg (Konstanzer Yacht Club, Bodensee-Yachtclub Überlingen). The Bavarian flag is being held high in the second division by the Augsburger Segler-Club.
The North German Regatta Club from the Hamburg Alster starts the season as the record winner. The Hanseatic team has won three titles in the still young history of the league. The championship trophy can currently be admired in a glass display case in the NRV club rooms at Schöne Aussicht 37. Next to it are two miniature championship trophies, which a winning club receives when it has to hand over the original to the new champions at the end of the season. It remains to be seen whether the NRV and the two-time champions from the German Touring Yacht Club will return to a permanent duel this year. NRV team boss Klaus Lahme, who is relying on the two helmsmen Tobias Schadewaldt and 24-year-old Florian Hauffe for the 2018 season as well as a rotating squad of 20, is betting on an extended group of favourites: "Of course, defending the title is our goal. But there are a whole host of other good teams in the field. Überlingen were strong last year. Carsten Kemmling (former NRV helmsman, editor's note) now steers for Hemelingen and Malte Kamrath for the Seglerhaus am Wannsee club. When Malte was at the start for the Berlin team, they were always very good."
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
