RS Venture Connect European Championship: The WsW crew of Sibbert/Nee leads heading into the final day—in both the overall and inclusive standings!

Travemünde/Hoyerswerda, July 21, 2026 – It couldn’t be any more exciting: Ahead of the final day of the RS Venture Connect European Championship, held as part of the 137th Travemünde Week, a crew from Wir sind Wir – Inclusion in Sailing e.V. heads into the race in the lead. After three days and four races, Calle Sibbert & Hans Nee are at the top of both the main standings (overall) and the inclusive standings.

In the lead—and by the narrowest of margins

With seven points, Sibbert/Nee lead the overall standings—tied on points with the Spanish team of Pau Toni Homar & Ramón Gutierrez, but ahead thanks to their victory in the most recent race. Genevieve Wickham & Grant Alderson (AUS) follow in third place with nine points. So everything is still up for grabs: The European Championship title will be decided on the final day.

Here’s how the WsW teams stand after four races

Main Classification (Overall): Led by Sibbert/Nee (1st place), other WsW crews are also well-placed in the field: Dirk Thalheim & Steffi Brix in 5th place, Jürgen Brietzke & Siggi Mainka in 12th, Alfred Volkmer & Heike Gercken in 15th, and Nadine & Johannes Löschke in 23rd.

Inclusive Classification: Here, too, Sibbert/Nee lead the standings. Brietzke/Mainka follow in 7th place, and Volkmer/Gercken in 9th.

Para Classification: In the Para classification, Dirk Thalheim & Steffi Brix are in a strong second place, behind the leading Spanish team of Homar/Gutierrez. Nadine & Johannes Löschke are in 13th place.

A special story at the start: Genevieve Wickham & Grant Alderson

Right behind our leaders, in third place, is a team that embodies everything inclusive sailing stands for. Genevieve Wickham is from Western Australia (Royal Perth Yacht Club) and has been on the water since she was a teenager. Four months after her wedding, she suffered a severe brain hemorrhage during surgery for an aneurysm. Since then, the right side of her body has been paralyzed; she cannot walk on her own and had to relearn how to speak. Years later, experts advised her to take up sailing—despite the initial skepticism of her mother, Anne (“What a stupid idea! Boats tip over…”)— Through the organization Sailability, she found a new home in the sport. Together with her sailing partner Grant Alderson, she forms the Australian team in the RS Venture Connect class.

Her journey is a success story: In 2023, Genevieve Wickham and Grant Alderson won gold at the Inclusion World Championship for Sailing in Rostock.

And this story has a very personal connection to us: After her victory in Rostock in 2023, Genevieve approached us and said, with tears in her eyes, “This is my way back to life.” Our response: “That’s exactly what we want.” For Genevieve, this medal was “worth more than gold”—a moment that remains one of the driving forces behind our daily work promoting inclusion in sailing to this day.

The fact that Genevieve and Grant are now once again sailing at the very front of the pack at the European Championships in Lübeck Bay—side by side with our WsW crews—makes this final day something truly special.

Breakfast Together on the Priwall

On the day before the final, we visited our teams on site and had breakfast together on the Priwall. In a great atmosphere, a lively discussion arose about the direction in which inclusive regatta sailing is heading—and just how challenging it can and must be. It is precisely these moments away from the racecourse that define our club: experiencing sports together, exchanging ideas, and spreading the idea of inclusive sailing.

Outlook

All WsW teams receive financial support from the club—and prize money is awarded for 1st through 3rd place in each class. On the final day, everything is on the line: Sibbert/Nee hold their fate in their own hands in both the overall and inclusive standings, while Thalheim/Brix are aiming for the podium in the Para category. We’re rooting for all the crews!

Latest results: https://manage2sail.com/de-DE/event/86869cf2-a47a-43ee-a970-a53c4b9cb679#!/results?classId=ed8bdb87-58b5-4b3a-a672-b53e9170bf20