Skiff and Dinghy Sailing in Germany

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Rambler

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I'm not sure how much this will generate discussion in an English language forum, but here goes.
I have a young lady in our twin wire skiff team who is shortly moving to Hamburg in Germany for work purposes.

She is very keen to continue her sailing; more so on skiff like boats.

Apart from what seems to be a small fleet of 49erFX's (although bigger than anyone elses), is there much in the way of skiff sailing in Germany?

Is the RS800 a thing over there?

If not, what's the next best alternative?

And what is the general sailing scene like within a reasonable commute from Hamburg?
 
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chrishampe

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Plymouth, UK
Travemunde and kiel should be within easy reach of Hamburg. Both host big regattas, I've seen 14's 18's, IC's, Musto Skiffs and plenty of the various RS skiffs around.

There are also sailing clubs on the Elbe, But not sure what classes are sailed there.
 
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Daniel Holman

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Can't vouch for FX sailing which I dare say is there at the olympic level, but also notable amongst the German i14 fleet are a lot of people doing it for fun, not always taking themselves too seriously, not feeling it necesary to be spending tonnes of deutschemarks on boats, lots of younger sailors lots of ladies crewing helming owning boats. Really healthy and fun.
 
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Curious2

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Rambler said:
I'm not sure how much this will generate discussion in an English language forum, but here goes.
I have a young lady in our twin wire skiff team who is shortly moving to Hamburg in Germany for work purposes.

She is very keen to continue her sailing; more so on skiff like boats.

Apart from what seems to be a small fleet of 49erFX's (although bigger than anyone elses), is there much in the way of skiff sailing in Germany?

Is the RS800 a thing over there?

If not, what's the next best alternative?

And what is the general sailing scene like within a reasonable commute from Hamburg?
Click to expand...

I'm no expert but as in most countries, there's not many skiffs according to the national class rankings and championships. The 29er's about 15th most popular centreboarder in the country by those measurements. The last Int 14 nationals seemed to have 22 entries (up on earlier years).

Germany is actually the stronghold of conventional doublehanded trapeze dinghies like the 505, FD, Korsar, etc, because they work well there.

Hamburg has the Alster lake which to me is one of the most inspirational places in sailing because it's a tiny spot (just 164 hectares) full of people getting joy sailing almost everything. They have amazing events like a series for about 50 local Dragons on a tiny lake that is almost in the middle of the city and studded with tiny marinas and vast yacht clubs where dinghies and small keelboats are kept.

The vast majority are sailing older designs because that's what suit the conditions and launching and storage facilities. The only guy who tried to get a traditional Aussie performance class going in Germany still has a shed full of them because they didn't really suit the conditions there.

Sailing_in_the_Alster_-_2.jpeg
 
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S

skslr

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Germany
Here in Northern Germany there is quite a bit of I14, Musto Skiff and Moth sailing.

Actually too much to get RS800s/RS700s established as a class even though there are some around. :)

The Alster is the playground for the lawyers and their lead poisened toys as described.

Your young lady should look for lake "Wittensee" (https://wscw.de/), "Flensburger Förde" (https://www.fsc.de/index.php) and Kiel/Baltic Sea instead. "Selenter See" near Kiel seems to be on the rise lately (https://stefanschafft.jimdo.com/)

Some "skiff" sailing takes place on the "Mühlenberger Loch" which is a part of the Elbe River in Hamburg just downstream of the Airbus plant. (https://www.bsc-hamburg.de/) Sailing next to giant Post-Panamax container ships is not for the faint hearted, though.

As a current RS800 and I14 owner I will claim that Germany does feature some places where "skiff type" dinghies work well - just not on the "Alster"...
 
14berlin

14berlin

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Munich
Definitely check out our 14 fleet! We are growing steadily with lots of young (female) sailors from the 29er scene. All our major regattas have 20+ boats at the starting line.
Our communication happens mostly on WhatsApp. If she dms me or our Instagram I can add her to the 14 group.

We have teams all over the Baltic from Flensburg to Rostock. I recommend visiting our Rerik fleet. It's the perfect spot for starting the season, testing new equipment or beginner training. No waves, no commercial shipping, a protected beach and often coach boat support.

I'll be there from this weekend until Easter with a few other teams. Due to the Europeans being in Italy, a few teams decided to start the season in Ascona (Switzerland). So until May activity in northern Germany might not be as high as usual.

20210627_090806814_iOS.jpg
 
R

Rambler

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14berlin said:
Definitely check out our 14 fleet! We are growing steadily with lots of young (female) sailors from the 29er scene. All our major regattas have 20+ boats at the starting line.
Our communication happens mostly on WhatsApp. If she dms me or our Instagram I can add her to the 14 group.

We have teams all over the Baltic from Flensburg to Rostock. I recommend visiting our Rerik fleet. It's the perfect spot for starting the season, testing new equipment or beginner training. No waves, no commercial shipping, a protected beach and often coach boat support.

I'll be there from this weekend until Easter with a few other teams. Due to the Europeans being in Italy, a few teams decided to start the season in Ascona (Switzerland). So until May activity in northern Germany might not be as high as usual.
Click to expand...
Thanks 14.
Your information will be much appreciated by her.
The young lady is not registered on this site, although is following the thread, so can't DM you (yet), so might make contact through the instagram link.
Mid twenties, only 55kg, she's been sailing skiffs about 5 years, skippering for the last one. A very good crew, she'll admit still a learner at skippering.Our Fifteens are more in the legue of an RS800 than an I14, so it will be a bit of a step up.
But it does sound like a nice scene - just what she's looking for.
She won't be in Germany until the end of the year..
Mind you, she doesn't speak German. English, Dutch and a bit of Danish; but not (yet) German.
 
14berlin

14berlin

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Munich
Rambler said:
Mind you, she doesn't speak German. English, Dutch and a bit of Danish; but not (yet) German.
Click to expand...
Not a problem at all. We have a few non-German-speaking sailors in our ranks. All Germans speak English to some extent, most of her generation spent time in an English-speaking country as part of their education (especially in rich cities like Hamburg).
Unlike the french we are not offended if someone does not want to bother with our language :D

55kg is on the lighter side but so is the wind in the German summers. I don't feel limited by sailing in a mixed team, we can keep up with the top guys and win races.
 
D

dogwatch

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South Coast, UK
14berlin said:
Unlike the french we are not offended if someone does not want to bother with our language
Click to expand...

I've rarely got more than a first sentence out in German, the reply invariably comes back in perfect English. Those four years of German at school weren't necessarily well-spent. In France I've found if I make an effort first with my terrible French, they will kindly reply in English but outside those paid to deal with tourists, if you don't even try, neither will they. Which is fair enough.
 
14berlin

14berlin

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Rerik Easter Training in freezing conditions. 10 teams from national champions to sailing beginners.
These events become more and more popular. They offer a safe environment for beginners and different training modes for the experienced without the pressure of a regatta schedule.

Next Rerik event is in June!

 
R

Rambler

Super Anarchist
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East Coast OZ
14berlin said:
Rerik Easter Training in freezing conditions. 10 teams from national champions to sailing beginners.
These events become more and more popular. They offer a safe environment for beginners and different training modes for the experienced without the pressure of a regatta schedule.

Next Rerik event is in June!

Click to expand...

Feel sorry for the crew that double teabagged and capsized at the end.
They're going to need a hot shower
 
S

skslr

Member
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Germany
The video is really cool!

On the maps the "Salzhaff" in front of Rerik always looked pretty shallow and i14s got pretty deep daggerboards - is that less of an issue than I thought or do the locals mark some special "safe training area"?
 
14berlin

14berlin

Member
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Munich
skslr said:
The video is really cool!

On the maps the "Salzhaff" in front of Rerik always looked pretty shallow and i14s got pretty deep daggerboards - is that less of an issue than I thought or do the locals mark some special "safe training area"?
Click to expand...
It is shallow but easy to navigate. If you start from the beach don't go past the buoys on the right and past the windpark on the left.
The first gate can be used for training but don't go too wide.
If you are heading towards the windpark make sure you have a local in front of you.

Inside the blue area you have 2m+ even if the water level is low.

In the late summer weed can be an issue but right now the water is crystal clear and you can see the ground.

rerik.png
 
S

skslr

Member
221
45
Germany
Thank you very much for the explanation!

RS800 daggerboards are shorter than i14 daggerboards, so we would be safe :-D

Sounds a little bit like "Steinhuder Meer" where you can sail safely if you stay with the locals, despite it being rather shallow in general :)
 
GER308

GER308

Member
448
113
Monnem, Germany/San Diego Ca
If she is interested in a 14 I have a friend with an older but very fast hull laying around unused, Not sure about the state of the foils and would need a rig. Was a special build for Hasso Platner built in Australia. Sitting a bit south of Bremen in a horse stable now. Woluld love to see it put to use.
 
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