From the Zwölfer to the Hansa-Jolle – the German Classics in Laboe have once again demonstrated why classic wooden yachts are more than just old boats: they are sailing history. Fifty-five registered classics, perfect sailing weather and a community that celebrates the spirit of sailing in its purest form. A look back at an event with heart and soul.
Text: Tommy Loewe, Martin Hager
For four days, the fjord belonged to the classic yachts. From 13 to 16 August 2026, the Freundeskreis Klassische Yachten e. V. transformed Laboe’s municipal harbour into a mecca for lovers of historic yachts – and the German Classics proved once again that they are far more than just an ordinary regatta.
What makes the German Classics weekend so special every year is the unique blend of sporting ambition and convivial camaraderie. Between the races, there was plenty of time for lively conversations on the jetty, for viewing the boats, making new friends and enjoying the evenings with music and good food – an atmosphere you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
As usual, the classic yachts and boats were on display in all their splendour in the municipal harbour. The larger vessels were moored at the fishing jetty, whilst the smaller yachts were moored in their berths or in groups alongside the quay at the fairground.
A fleet with character
There was only one 12-metre yacht on the starting list this year, and even that one had a shortened mast. “Heti”, a First Ruler from 1912, designed and built by Max Oertz, had snapped its mast a few days earlier whilst flying the large gennaker. Fortunately, no one was injured, and even without a topsail she sails superbly. Germany’s oldest 12-mR racing yacht – and currently the only gaff-rigged 12-mR in the Baltic Sea – has long since established itself as a symbol of the classic yacht renaissance, as well as a fine example of Hanseatic shipbuilding craftsmanship.
The same applies to the imposing spread-gaff ketch “Senta”, built in 1928 by HDW, also based on an Oertz design. Owned by the Schmidt family from Bremen since 1933 and now sailed by the fifth generation. Crew: family and friends, always welcoming and in good spirits, with the head of the family, Holger Schmidt, on board – recognisable by his straw hat. Another two-masted vessel in the German Classics fleet was the yawl “Herta”, an Abeking & Rasmussen built in 1923.
At the very other end of the size scale were the real minnows of the field: five Hansa dinghies, who had travelled directly from the Germany Cup on Lake Wolfgang. At 5.85 metres in length, they are proper cruising boats for two people who enjoy regatta sailing – and, it seems, the celebrations afterwards as well. Also competing in their group was Holger Rieck with his open Class 15 dinghy cruiser “Achneedochnich” – a name that says it all. At just under 80 years old, Rieck is one of the mainstays of this event; there’d be no German Classics without him.
However, this year’s age record was held by Hans Roland Heller, aged 94, who has spent over eight decades sailing: he took his 6KR yacht “Ariel” to the starting line – and in doing so made quite a few younger competitors look old.
The field was rounded off by Folkeboats, Mälars – those elegant archipelago cruisers from the north – as well as 5, 6, 7KR and 8mR yachts. And then there is a growing new group that is becoming increasingly close to the organisers’ hearts: IOR yachts and related wooden designs, built in the 1960s and 70s. Too new to be eligible to race when the FKY was founded, they now have their place in the fleet under the umbrella term ‘neo-classics’. The most prominent representative of this group was the 16.30-metre-long “Freya”, built in 1982 to a design by Van de Stadt at the Biarritz fishing boat yard on the North Sea coast.
On the water
55 classic yachts had entered. On Saturday, in glorious sunshine and with a westerly wind of three to four on the Beaufort scale, 47 boats set off on the long-distance course towards Stollergrund – conditions in which old wooden boats show why they were built. On Friday, 35 yachts had set off in four starts for two triangular regattas in Strander Bay. The race committee led by Markus Boehlich of the SVAOe did a reliable job – apart from the fact that the starting pistol failed to fire at an inopportune moment. Never mind: where there are flags, there’s no need for a pistol. It’s always been that way.
It’s worth taking a look back. In the early 2000s, you could almost walk from boat to boat across Laboe harbour – the class was booming. Today, the old wooden boats are becoming fewer, the owners are getting older, and some have had enough of the hustle and bustle. It would be dishonest to gloss over that. Yet anyone looking closely would have spotted young faces on many decks. That is the real message of this weekend.
A teapot that’s a true example of craftsmanship
The awards ceremony featured one special moment: the copper teapot, the German Classics Restoration Award, went this year to the owners of the 45-foot Bermuda cutter “St. Sampson””. The boat, designed and built by Paul Dorey on Guernsey in 1954, had been severely damaged during the autumn storm of 2023 in Maasholm – a total write-off, many would have said. Sebastian Ohrndorf and Armin Keller had a different view. A year and a half later, the “St. Sampson” was” Back in the water, ready to go and more beautiful than ever. Stories like this are the real reason why events like this are needed.
On land
The onshore programme also lived up to expectations. Breakfast and dinner for around 200 hungry crew members, plus the Laboe harbour festival with its little stalls – including Café Citroën, which, by general consensus, serves the best cappuccino on the Föde coast. The evening programme ranged from the subtle guitar-driven folk rock of the duo Kavanagh / Kowalski to straight-up rock with The Crew and crisp funk with B-Connected. Nothing was missing.
The fact that everything ran so smoothly is down to the FKY organising team led by Niko von Bosse – people who do this not for the glory, but because they understand what is at stake: a sailing culture that must be preserved.