Kieler Woche Inklusiv 2026: A Wonderful Start
With the start of Kiel Week on Saturday, June 20, 2026, our inclusive sailing program also kicked off at the Olympic Harbor in Kiel-Schilksee—and the first day could hardly have been better. Under ideal conditions, people with and without disabilities experienced the regatta action together: right in the thick of it, rather than just watching from the sidelines.
The week kicked off with two programs: the first accessible regatta tours for wheelchair users, as well as a training day for four children and teens with disabilities on our RS Venture Connect inclusion boats. As always, we’re carrying out these inclusive programs in partnership with Inklusives Segeln für Alle e.V., an organization that specializes in accessible sailing for wheelchair users.
A Training Day That Moves You
In two sessions on the Baltic Sea, Sophia, Tristan, Paul, and Fenna sailed out to the 49er FX regatta course and watched the races from a safe distance. During the breaks between races, they got a taste of the 49er FX experience—and were able to watch Hamburg’s two top teams, Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille, as well as Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Bartelheimer, in action. It’s the very same boat class in which our BAT patron, Susann Beucke, won Olympic silver—a wonderful connection for our young sailors. Two of the four are specifically preparing for regattas. One of them is ten-year-old Sophia, who is visually impaired and will be competing this year in the inclusive regatta organized by “Wir sind Wir” in collaboration with the Germany SailGP Team as part of the SailGP in Sassnitz.
Smiling and utterly enthusiastic faces showed what inclusive sailing is all about—and why this work is so important.
The BAT Sailing Team Has Arrived
Also on the first day, our BAT Sailing Team arrived in Kiel and has already completed its first training runs off Kiel-Schilksee. There’s great anticipation for the regatta course—and Kiel Week holds special significance for the team: this is where the inclusive crew once competed in its first regattas.
In 2026, the BAT Sailing Team—a joint project of the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein and Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V.—will celebrate its fifth anniversary. Currently, 18 people with and without disabilities are sailing together in regattas—including blind, visually impaired, and deaf people, as well as wheelchair users, and, for the first time, two children and teenagers with visual impairments. In the 2025 season, the team secured its place in the league by finishing 11th out of 18; the team is currently sailing its third season in the 2nd German Sailing Bundesliga. The team’s patron is Susann Beucke, silver medalist in Olympic sailing at the Tokyo Games. The vision is clear: #alleanbord.
What’s Next
And it continues: Starting June 21, the sailing course for blind and visually impaired people begins, and on June 22, the team will set out onto the Baltic Sea for the first time aboard the 70-foot yacht “Little Dream.” The sporting highlight will be the J/70 regatta from June 25 to 28—the BAT Sailing Team, putting inclusion into practice on the regatta course.
A huge thank you to the entire team at the Schilksee Olympic Harbor (Sporthafen Kiel GmbH), who have once again taken such incredible care of us and supported us—and to the state capital of Kiel for funding these inclusive sailing activities.
Join us for a sail now
There are currently still a few spots available for the accessible regatta tours for wheelchair users. They take place daily until June 27 on the Kiel Outer Fjord. All information and registration details can be found here: https://www.wir-sind-wir.org/inklusive-segel-mitmachangebote-kieler-woche-2026/
