Inclusion: Offshore sailing for all on the legendary ocean racer "Illbruck" in Rostock

Under the motto "Inclusive Offshore Sailing", people with and without physical disabilities will share a sailing experience together on the legendary Ocean Race winning yacht "Illbruck" (now "SkenData") on 4 June. The project is organised in cooperation with "We are We - Inclusion in Sailing", Speedsailing Rostock and the Rostock Regatta Club was organised. With this challenging trip, the organisers want to set a new milestone for inclusion in sailing.

Experienced crew on board

One visually impaired sailor actively sails with the Rostock Regatta Club, while three other blind or visually impaired people belong to the "Bat Sailing Team", which was also initiated by "Wir sind Wir". In addition to blind people and those with visual impairments, the crew also includes deaf people, wheelchair users and people without disabilities. The team is now in its fifth year of competing in the J/70 class on the Kiel Week regatta course. In 2023, it made the leap into the 2nd German Sailing League, sailed a successful first league season last year and will be competing again in 2025. In addition to the regattas, workshops and sailing courses are regularly on the programme.

The most prominent crew member is Sigmund Mainka. The exceptional athlete with bilateral leg amputations won the gold medal in the team with Jens Kroker and Robert Prem in the three-man keelboat in the Sonar boat class at the Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and the silver medal four years later in the same team in London. Both the crew and the organisers are breaking new ground with the trip on the Ocean Racer.

Attention guaranteed

Although the crew is naturally ambitious in terms of racing, the focus on 4 June will be less on the competition. With this project, the organisers primarily want to make inclusive sailing visible and show that inclusion is an enrichment for everyone. "The shared sailing experience conveys team spirit and mutual respect, which shows direct transfer possibilities for inclusive practices in everyday working life," emphasises Sven Jürgensen from "Wir sind Wir". "We want to sensitise companies and organisations to the topic of inclusion and demonstrate what an inclusive culture can look like."

With one of the most important racing yachts in German sailing history, full attention for the cause is probably guaranteed. The V.O.60 racing yacht "Illbruck", which now trades under the name "SkenData", was the first and so far only German yacht to win the legendary "The Ocean Race" in 2002 under skipper John Kostecki. During this race around the world, the team set two world records: the 24-hour world record of 896 kilometres and the speed record for monohulls of just under 73 km/h. Thanks to its successes and records, the "Illbruck" has a firm place in the offshore and deep-sea sailing scene.

The partners behind the project

"Wir sind Wir -- Inclusion in Sailing" has been dedicated to inclusive sailing for five years. It successfully organised two inclusive sailing world championships in Rostock in 2022 and 2023. It also organises the "Heinz Kettler Deutschland Cup", the world's first truly inclusive regatta series. The association also realises numerous inclusive children's and youth sailing projects, promoting sailing as a unifying element from an early age.

Beyond the still common separation of para-sport and sport for people without disabilities, inclusive sailing connects people. They learn to sail together or take part in regular, high-calibre competitions - without the special events that used to be the norm. The focus here is on the fact that inclusion in practice is a genuine and wonderful enrichment for everyone involved and can have an impact far beyond sport into everyday life. Clemens Kraus from "Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V." emphasises: "Inclusive sailing has already achieved a lot in recent years. What we have experienced through our inclusive sailing projects shows impressively how valuable and important these encounters at eye level are - not only for the participants themselves, but for society as a whole."

Speedsailing in Rostock, a provider of sailing events with many years of experience in offshore sailing, and the Rostocker Regatta Verein are supporting the project - Speedsailing with its ocean racer and crew, the Rostocker Regatta Verein with expertise, infrastructure and strong roots in the local sailing community. The three players are united by the joint organisation of the "Inclusion World Championship for Sailing" in Rostock in 2022 and 2023. The idea for the current offshore sailing project was also born during these competitions.

Other inclusive sailing events

"Wir sind Wir - Inclusion in Sailing e.V." has been organising other inclusive sailing events alongside the "Bat Sailing Team" for five years. At the "Helga Cup", the association ensures a steadily growing number of inclusive teams. The event takes place from 12 to 15 June at the Norddeutscher Regattaverein in Hamburg and brings 78 teams, including 16 inclusive teams, onto the course. In summer, "Wir sind Wir" organises the "Heinz Kettler Deutschland Cup", a globally unique inclusive regatta series that starts on 30 May at the Möhnesee Yacht Club, continues in Sassnitz in August and ends on 18/19 October at the Hamburg Sailing Club on the Outer Alster.

During Kiel Week from 21 to 29 June, special inclusive courses will be offered for the blind, visually impaired and wheelchair users, and the modified boat "Henk de Mol" will make special regatta adventures possible. Finally, an inclusive summer party on 3 July at the Hamburg Sailing Club invites people to exchange ideas and network.