Together, anything is possible
A century ago, the sailing club on the Greifswald Bodden was founded with the aim of making sailing accessible to everyone. Today, the club comprises dedicated cruising sailors, enthusiastic regatta fans and a well-organised children’s and youth section – there’s something for everyone. The DSV congratulates the club on this special anniversary and wishes it all the best for the future.
Sailing on the pleasure boat and then quickly moving on to the club’s own boats – how it all began at the Greifswald Yacht Club …
Students had been sailing on the River Ryck and the Greifswald Bodden since the end of the 19th century – in old, small fishing boats or on the so-called ‘pleasure cutter’ owned by the entrepreneur Paul Degner. One of his fishing vessels had been converted into a yacht; during the herring season in spring and autumn it served as a fishing boat, and in summer as a sailing boat.
Yet sailing as a water sport should be accessible to all residents of Greifswald. At least four sailing enthusiasts shared this view – on 28 April 1926, they founded the ‘Greifswalder Jacht Klub’ with the aim of inspiring and training children and young people in particular to take up sailing. Membership numbers grew steadily, and the club soon acquired its own boats, such as the coastal dinghy ‘VINETA U 26’ and three 12-foot dinghies. Sailing on the Bodden flourished.
When the National Socialists came to power, the first chairman was replaced by a club leader; “political training sessions were also planned, but these took place only over a glass of beer”, writes club chronicler and long-standing member Hans-Joachim Subklew on the GYC website in his account of the club’s history.
After the war ended, sailing at the Greifswald Yacht Club came to a complete standstill. The boats had been shipped to Russia as reparations; some keelboats – confiscated for a Russian holiday home – were left to rot on the outer beach of Usedom.
For sailors in eastern Germany, the days of independent club life also came to an end. The GJK was forced to disband, and the water sports enthusiasts reunited within the ‘Einheit Greifswald’ workers’ association, in its sailing section. “There, the enthusiasm and commitment to sailing continued unabated,” says the current chairman, Christian Subklew. Even though this was sometimes challenging, such as when applying for the special permits PM 18 and PM 19 to sail in the inner coastal waters during trips around Rügen or Hiddensee. The authorities in the former GDR were too afraid that “citizens might attempt to flee to the West upon leaving the three-mile zone”, explains Christian Subklew. Although this meant that sailing was heavily regulated, a vibrant scene developed nonetheless.
… and what happened next: a successful fresh start, albeit with its challenges
In November 1989, the Wall came down, and with it the barrier for the sailing community on the Baltic Sea. The first keen sailors set off on the spur of the moment for Rönne on Bornholm as early as the 1990 season – the wind and temperatures didn’t matter. The main thing was to get going!
The club’s fresh start proved more difficult. By court order, the Greifswald Yacht Club had been stripped of its legal status in 1950. “So we had to put everything on a new legal footing, clarify ownership structures, draw up lease agreements and… and… and,” says Christian Subklew.
On 6 April 1990, the club was re-established, this time definitively under the name ‘Greifswalder Yacht-Club’. However, it was to take a further six years before the contracts for the club’s premises could be finalised. Today, the GYC operates from two locations: the smaller site is situated at the mouth of the River Ryck in the village of Wieck, right on the Greifswalder Bodden. This is also where the clubhouse stands, which was converted from an old boathouse into the club’s meeting place thanks to the members’ considerable financial and practical commitment. Two nautical miles upstream, at the so-called Eisenhammer – the site of a steelworks in the mid-19th century that featured a large iron hammer for smelting bog iron ore – the GYC has a larger site with 60 berths and ten guest berths.
Sailing in all its forms and successful partnerships – the Greifswald Yacht Club today
“Here, sailors will find many different aspects of our sport,” explains Christian Subklew: cruising, regatta sailing, a dedicated youth section and a strong sense of community. Planning sailing trips, organising regattas, putting on parties, tidying up the grounds, refurbishing jetties – “none of this would be possible if we didn’t stick together.”
And that’s exactly what they do at the Greifswald Yacht Club. On fleet outings – to Peenemünde Nord, for example – there can be as many as 20 to 30 boats out on the water. Everyone helps each other out when launching or carrying out maintenance on their boats, and the regular lecture series in winter are well attended. “And our club flag flies in many corners of Europe during the season,” explains the chairman.
Things are also buzzing on the regatta scene at the GYC and on the Bodden. The Wednesday Regatta, the Bodden Cup, the BoddenSolo, the Bodden Stage – the regatta calendar is packed. The regatta sailors of the Greifswald Yacht Club organise these events with the Greifswald Academic Sailing Club and the Wieck Yacht Club within the community of the BoddenRacer. True to the motto: Together, we can achieve a great deal.
This successful model of cooperation with the two neighbouring clubs is also reflected in the GYC’s work with children and young people. In a Joint Youth Section (GJA), around 65 children and young people train together from Monday to Thursday in several groups in Optimists, 420s, ILCA-class dinghies and 29ers; in winter, there are theory sessions, swimming and fitness training. An integral part of the youth programme is also taking part in regattas together, both in the region and on international waters: Young people from the Greifswald Bodden, for example, competed in the 29er EuroCup in the south of France and at the International Youth Easter Meeting Regatta on Lake Garda (ILCA 4), whilst the Optimists travelled to the Netherlands.
“This partnership enables us to offer a programme like this for young players,” explains Christian Subklew. Hardly any club could afford to do this on its own.
Everyone on the Greifswald Bodden agrees: the Joint Youth Department ensures the next generation of sailors and, at the same time, the continued existence of the clubs. And that is why, from 2027, there will be a full-time coach for the Joint Youth Department for the first time. The salary will be shared – it’s as simple as that.
“We have the most beautiful area in Germany” – a declaration of love
“We’re a close-knit community,” says Christian Subklew enthusiastically of the club, “but at the same time we’re open to everything new – new developments, new perspectives and, above all, new people. Everyone is welcome.”
The local area on the doorstep is also unbeatable – “actually the most beautiful in the whole of Germany”. There’s the open Baltic Sea with its long coastline; there’s the more sheltered Greifswald Bodden and the Peenestrom with its distinctive natural landscape; and there are the many small, charming harbours where you can moor. In fact, says Christian Subklew, “we don’t really need to go anywhere else”.
This is the Greifswald Yacht Club
The GYC is situated on the Greifswalder Bodden in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and has two locations: Right in Wiek am Bodden, on the club’s grounds, there is a clubhouse with a restaurant, boat sheds, 30 berths and 3 guest berths; around 2.5 miles towards Greifswald, the club offers further berths (60/10) at Eisenhammer. The club has 226 members with around 80 boats, 25 of whom are children and young people. The Greifswald Yacht Club, the Akademischer Seglerverein zu Greifswald and the Wieck Yacht Club form a joint yet independent Youth Section young sailors in various boat classes. Address: Greifswalder Yacht-Club, Yachtweg 4, 17493 Greifswald; Email greifswalder_yachtclub@t-online.de; Website www.greifswalder-yachtclub.de;
