13 races in perfect Baltic Sea winds \u00b7 15 crews from four nations \u00b7 An emotional opening ceremony at the Altes K\u00fchlhaus with the Germany SailGP Team<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sassnitz, August 18, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first day of the inclusive regatta in Sassnitz\u2019s city harbor ended with a donation: 2,000 euros for Kinderlachen 009 R\u00fcgen e.V. The organization supports sick and underprivileged children\u2014on R\u00fcgen and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This wasn\u2019t planned. At the harbor festival in Sassnitz on Saturday, we met the volunteers from Kinderlachen 009 R\u00fcgen. The encounter touched us so deeply that we invited them to the opening ceremony on the spot. There, our club presented a donation of 1,000 euros\u2014and two private donors each added another 500 euros. As a result, Clemens Kraus was able to present a total of 2,000 euros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For us, it all fits together: A regatta where people with and without disabilities sail on equal terms should also give something back to the community hosting the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the water: 13 races with perfect Baltic Sea winds<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sailing took place this Tuesday from morning until late afternoon. With winds ranging from 8 to 15 knots, 13 races were held on the course. Fifteen crews from Belgium, Germany, Norway, and the Czech Republic are competing, each with an inclusive crew: people with and without disabilities sail in the same boats, following the same rules, in direct competition. The racing takes place on eight accessible boats of the RS Venture Connect class. The regatta marks the second day of competition in the Heinz Kettler Germany Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standings after the first day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Leading the pack is the BYC Inclusion Team from the Bavarian Yacht Club on Lake Starnberg\u2014with a record that could hardly be more perfect: four races, four first-place finishes, four points. Close behind, tied with six points each, are the Alster HSC and \u201cDie zwei\u201d from Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V., both after three races. Next are the SALTO SAILING Team Norway with nine points from five races and the Bat Sailing Team with ten points from six races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, this standings table isn\u2019t yet meaningful. Because the races are sailed in groups, the crews have completed between three and six races\u2014the standings won\u2019t even out until all teams have completed the same number of races. Scoring is based on the low-point system: the team with the fewest points leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Current results (as of August 18, 5:54 p.m.): https:\/\/www.manage2sail.com\/DE\/event\/HKDC20262#!\/results<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Opening Ceremony at the Altes K\u00fchlhaus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the evening, the fleet gathered at the Altes K\u00fchlhaus in Sassnitz\u2014and the evening turned out to be more emotional than a regatta opening usually is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andreas Sand, chairman of the Heinz Kettler Foundation, and Sven J\u00fcrgensen, representing the organizing club Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V., led the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steffi Nerius delivered a welcome address\u2014in a dual capacity. On the one hand, as the 2009 javelin throw world champion and Olympic silver medalist, who was born in Bergen on R\u00fcgen in 1972 and is thus returning to her home island. On the other hand, as vice chair of the Herman van Veen Foundation: The foundation co-financed the wheelchair-accessible conversion of the \u201cHenk de Mol,\u201d thereby making the regatta tour cruises for wheelchair-using guests possible in the first place. Nerius herself joins the guests on board for these cruises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs a native of R\u00fcgen, I am incredibly proud to be able to open the inclusive sailing regatta as part of SailGP in my home port of Sassnitz. On the one hand, it\u2019s about the F50 catamarans that fly across the water at over 100 km\/h, and on the other, it\u2019s about inclusive sailing. As vice chair of the Herman van Veen Foundation, I\u2019m delighted that wheelchair users can board the \u2018Henk de Mol\u2019 directly with their wheelchairs and sail along. I wish everyone the best of luck and hope you enjoy the view of the unique landscape\u2014the chalk cliffs of R\u00fcgen from the water!\u201d \u2013 Steffi Nerius<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking on behalf of the city of Sassnitz were Mayor Leon Kr\u00e4usche and City President Norbert Benedict. Representing the co-organizing clubs were Anja Kamradt, Chairwoman of the Berlin Yacht Club; Andreas Schorr from the Seglerhaus am Wannsee club; and Frank Beilstein from Inklusives Segeln f\u00fcr Alle e.V.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were particularly delighted that nearly the entire Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank helped shape the evening\u2014including CEO Tim Krieglstein, helmsman Erik Heil, Olympic bronze medalist Paul Kohlhoff, strategist Anna Barth, and grinder Felix van den H\u00f6vel, as well as Arne Stach and Anne van der Weereld. The fact that a team competing on the international racing circuit at the same time took the time for this evening means more to us than just an event: it\u2019s a partnership in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s Next<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Racing will continue on Wednesday and Thursday: on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to about 6 p.m., and on Thursday from 10 a.m. to about 5 p.m. The regatta tours for wheelchair users aboard the accessible \u201cHenk de Mol\u201d run daily through August 23. The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, August 20, at 7:00 p.m. at the Germany SailGP Team\u2019s Team Base\u2014with Stefanie Drese, Minister of Social Affairs, Health, and Sports for the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, who has assumed patronage of the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Press Service<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We can arrange press tours and on-site interviews on short notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All images from Sassnitz 2026 are royalty-free for reporting on the event, with attribution: https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/svenjjj\/albums\/72177720335150151<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n