World Championship gold at Travemünde Week
Bed Swap at Travemünde Week: no fewer than two World Championships, three European Championships and a ranking regatta came to an end on Tuesday, whilst seven World Championships were only just getting into full swing. The British have an impressive track record of success. They swept the board, winning gold in four championships. In the Finn dinghies, victory went to Schwerin, whilst in the inclusive RS Venture Connect class, Australia and Spain were left to celebrate in the various categories.
RS Tera:The RS Tera class crowned its new world champions today in the Pro and Sport categories. Over the four scheduled days of racing, the young sailors were presented with a wide range of conditions: from waves and strong gusts – which caused many competitors to capsize on the first day – to light winds on the final day of the World Championships. After a total of eight races, the winners were decided: Freddie Harrison (RS Tera Sport) and Charlie Hunt (RS Tera Pro).
The podium in the RS Tera Sport category was an all-British affair. With a lead of just one point, Freddie Harrison from the Cumard Sailing Club on the Isle of Wight took gold. Silver went to Harry Wilson from the East of England. Inland sailor Aggie Priestley from the Ullswater Yacht Club clinched bronze in the overall standings and, with it, the gold medal in the girls’ category. Ireland’s Alexis Skinner finished second in the girls’ category, followed by Britain’s Isabelle Nuttall. Britain’s Freddie Harrison, Harry Wilson and Barney Rhodes stood on the winners’ podium in the boys’ category.
Harrison could hardly believe he was suddenly world champion. “It feels great; sailing was great fun,” he said. Then, after the prize-giving ceremony, he saw the world champion in the Pro category end up in the harbour basin along with his national flag, and added: “I reckon I’ll be next.” He was right: one champion after another ended up in the water – not entirely of their own volition.
In the Pro category of the RS Tera class, third-placed Oleksandr Chykalov from Ukraine broke the British winning streak. He was level on points with the runner-up, inland sailor Hari Clark. Charlie Hunt from Southampton took gold, just one point ahead of the pair. All three also received medals in the boys’ classification. The podium in the girls’ category was more international. Arina Duzha from Ukraine took gold by a wide margin ahead of Molly Wilson from Great Britain and Polina Baranova from Estonia.
In the RS 700 class, which featured a field of just nine boats, no one could get past Rob Higgins from Cornwall at the European Championships held as part of Travemünde Week. The Briton failed to finish first in only the first of the six races held. He used that second-place finish as his discard. With a clear lead over the runner-up, Higgins secured European Championship gold. The battle for second and third place was much closer. With a lead of just one point, the Czech Adam Plhon took silver ahead of the Briton Matt Carter.
RS 800:
The RS 800 sailors completed eight races during their European Championships. The British were clearly in the lead in the class, sweeping the podium in both the main category and the ‘Team with Female Helmswoman’ category. In the main category, the mixed team of Louis Johnson and Lucy Hewitson took the win. Silver went to Monique Vennis-Ozanne and Hugh Shone, followed by Blake and Brett Tudor in third place. In the women’s helmsmen category, the top three were: Monique Vennis-Ozanne, Tracey Covell and Elsie Munro. In the Masters category, a French team, Alexandre Emanuel and Victor Robart, broke the British winning streak. Gold went to Ian and Laura Jubb, silver to Tracey and Freddie Covell. In the youth category, only Elsie and Scott Munro competed.
RS Venture Connect:
After a one-day delay due to adverse weather conditions, the sailors in the inclusive RS Venture Connect class began their European Championships. The fleet sailed all the more intensely two days later. To avoid the risk of another day without racing, the RS Venture Connect sailors held their races on the penultimate day of the European Championships in the calmer waters of Pötenitzer Wiek, sailing there until late in the evening.
The overall victory went to the Inclusive World Champions, Genevieve Wickham and Grant Alderson from Australia. The Spaniards Pau Toni Homar and Ramón Gutierrez, who were competing as defending champions, had to settle for the silver medal this time. Pedro Câncio Reis and Teodoro Cândido from Portugal took bronze by the narrowest of margins, ahead of the German team of Carsten Sibbert and Johannes Nee. “It was a long way for us from Australia just for a few days’ sailing. But we love Germany: because every time we take part in a championship here, we win,” said Grant Alderson with a wink.
In the Inclusive category, however, Carsten Sibbert and Johannes Nee are delighted with silver. Adam Billany from Great Britain, together with Shaun Billany, took bronze. Here too, victory went to the Australian team of Genevieve Wickham and Grant Alderson. “When we saw the weather forecast, we knew the conditions would be tricky and were a bit worried. The decision to let us sail in the Pötenitzer Wiek yesterday was a very good one and saved the European Championships. We’re satisfied. It was a great event; we just could have done with a bit more wind today,” said Carsten Sibbert.
Pau Toni Homar and Ramón Gutierrez are taking gold in the Para category back to their home country of Spain. Pedro Câncio Reis and Teodoro Cândido from Portugal won silver. The bronze medal went to the German team of Dirk Thalheim and Stephanie Brix. “It was our first time in Travemünde, and we really enjoyed everything: the large turnout at the European Championships and also the atmosphere on shore at the festival. And of course we’re delighted to have won another medal in our second World Championship appearance, following our victory in Oslo in 2025,” say the gold medallists in the Para category. They also noted that the temperatures in Travemünde are considerably more pleasant than they are at the moment back home in Mallorca.
Jens Kroker, Germany’s most successful Paralympic sailor, finished 16th in the middle of the field with his young crewmate Malden Scheffler.
“The conditions were difficult – it was a bit of a rollercoaster,” reported Kroker (57), who has been missing his left hand since birth. Scheffler grew up without his left forearm. “It was the first time we’d sailed together and we got better and better; despite a disqualification for a false start, we finished sixth in the Para class,” reported Kroker, who was very pleased. He particularly praised 14-year-old Scheffler: “Very impressive. He’s our future – very mature for his age.”
Kroker, who has his sights set on the Inclusive World Championships in Portimão this October – where he’ll once again be competing solo in the Hansa 303 – also wants to establish inclusive sailing at the Lübeck Yacht Club through his Turning Point Foundation. “I’m in talks with the chairman, Lutz Kleinfeldt; we’re planning our first activities on the Wakenitz.” It’s quite possible that Malden Scheffler will be there too. He has hired him as a coach for his foundation.
In the other classes too – apart from the RS Gaes – the TW action continued in full swing. The two-horse race for the TW title in the Finns quickly became a clear-cut affair on Tuesday for André Budzien from Schwerin. The multiple OK dinghy world champion confidently kept his rival Fabian Lemmel (Berlin) in his wake, thereby racking up point after point. “I had the feeling that he wasn’t quite as fast on the upwind leg today. That makes it easier, of course,” reported winner Budzien, who attributed this to his choice of sail: “I opted for a deeper profile. That worked well. However, when the wind died down towards the end, it was right on the limit.” Yet Budzien still managed to secure first place ahead of his rival in the final race.
There were three races on Tuesday – initially in good conditions, later in light winds. Prior to that, the Finn sailors had experienced the full range of wind conditions during their four days in Lübeck Bay. “In strong winds, it’s certainly tricky to land in the swell at Mövenstein, but the Finn class has organised itself well. So we had plenty of fun at all times,” said Budzien, who has set his sights on the German Championship in Berlin in September as the highlight of the season. “On Fabian’s home waters, I’d naturally like to give him a bit of a run for his money.”
The start of the Folkboat Gold Cup marks a reunion with a boat class whose rise to prominence in regatta circles is directly linked to Lübeck. In 1963, Lübeck Senator Alfred Hagelstein donated a one-kilogramme gold cup to the class. Since then, this trophy has been contested annually and is regarded as the class’s most important regatta and unofficial world championship. For decades, Lübeck was a regular host venue for the Gold Cup. Over the past 15 years, however, it has been held at other locations across Europe. Now, though, the cup is back home, and 42 crews in the classic keelboat are hoping to call the trophy their own for a year.
After the first two races, the Danes – who are no strangers to success – are holding back slightly in their hunt for gold. Per Hovmark and Per Buch, both three-time Gold Cup winners, are lying in wait for a podium finish with their crews after two races. At the top of the standings, with two consistent second-place finishes, is Andreas Blank from Berlin, followed by Sweden’s Anders Cederblad and the best German Gold Cup crew of recent years led by Ulf Kipcke (Kiel), who have already won the Gold Cup twice.
Italy or Spain – in any case, southern Europe. That’s how the Vaurien World Championship standings always look. And the Vaurien World Championship by Spraga at Travemünde Week seems to be no exception. After four races, last year’s World Championship bronze medallists, Olmo Cerri and Giola Bertolani (Italy), have secured the top spot. Their run so far – three wins and a third place – is impressive. Hot on their heels are the 2025 World Championship runners-up, Pablo Cabello Vieitez and Isabel Cabello Canas (Spain), before the French pair François-Xavier Drogou and Caroline Guilloux slot into third place, albeit some way behind.
