The idea behind Sailing Champions League is simple: it’s the championship of the national champions, during which the most successful clubs of the National Sailing League countries compete against each other to fight for the title of “Best Sailing Club of the Year.” It’s a straightforward format that has worked well in football for years, and now we have clear proof that it also works for sailing! This international club competition generated high levels of media interest and a level of competition that clubs, sailors and fans could all get behind.

The NRV Bundesliga team put on a strong performance in the final, winning the Sailing Champions League 2022.

Right from the start, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) team around helmsman David Chapman put in excellent performances on the floor of the Sailing Champions League Final during the Travemünder Woche (Travemuende Week).

At the end of the first day, David Chapman, Luisa Krüger, Anastacia Winkel and Florian Thoelen were in second place, tied on points behind first place Finland’s Åländska Segelsällskapet. On the second day they took the lead, and defended it on the third day.

On the final day the competition heated up again. Unlike the German Sailing League, the Sailing Champions League has a best of four final: whoever has two wins in four races, wins. The NRV team had the special advantage that they could take their first place as a victory point into this evaluation, but a second victory must first be achieved against a competitive field of the very best sailors.

The level of competition lead to exciting racing in the final races. Race 1: early start. Race 2 included a botched gennaker maneuver: 4th place. Race 3: 3rd place. All other clubs had now also taken first place in a race, and so it came down one last race.

NRV rounded the last windward mark in second place, then the leading Finns decided not to cover the NRV, but the third boat behind – an opportunity for the NRV team. And indeed, with only one boat length ahead, the NRV Bundesliga team crossed the line, the first Champions League victory in the history of the NRV Bundesliga team!

With five titles, a second place in the Champions League Final in St. Moritz, and the first Champions League victory, the NRV is incredibly proud of Travemünde sailors David Chapman, Luisa Krüger, Florian Thoelen, Nastia Winkel and Leon Passlack.

NRV Club Manager Klaus Lahme was watching live at the heart-stopping final, which was well-worth seeing: “I am really proud of this performance: sensational! But I am also particularly proud of our entire Bundesliga team. This victory belongs to the whole team!”