Champions League Cup, Championship Cup and League Cup: by winning the DSL Cup of the German Sailing League, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) goes down in the annals of German sailing history as the first club to achieve the trifecta.

It was pure excitement for sailors, spectators, and competitors on Alster Lake in the center of Hamburg: after winning the Champions League Cup in Travemuende and the title in the Sailing Bundesliga, all were excited about the possibility of the triple at the League Cup with home advantage for the NRV. The NRV Bundesliga team, consisting of Tobias Schadewaldt, Leon Passlack, Florian Thoelen and Florian Weser, sailed home one victory after the other on their own doorstep, but also placed “slips” every now and then in between, keeping things exciting until the end. After the first day they were three points ahead, before landing in an unfavorable fourth place, but with each subsequent race they pulled ahead, and finally with a 5-point lead the Triple came to be. Spectators were on the edge of their seats until the end!

Tobias Schadewaldt, beaming with joy but also exhausted, said after the races: “It was a huge effort to win the triple. We had to fight really hard for it until the end. Now we can really celebrate our victory!”

“This is an incredible success for the NRV!” said a delighted club manager and NRV Bundesliga team boss Klaus Lahme at the victory celebration. “A historic day. We are the first German sailing club to achieve the triple of championship, Champions League victory and cup win – unbelievable! I am proud of the entire NRV Bundesliga team and all the supporters, without whom we could not have gone this way. Thank you!”

Alster Lake brought the best wind and weather conditions to the League Cup – the sun was beaming and the wind blowing largely from one direction, so that the teams had their work cut out for them.

The three inclusive teams that took part in the cup races put on a respectable showing. Together with the Bat-Sailing Team from NRV, in which visually impaired and blind sailors are part of the crew, helmswoman Anna Barth from NRV came in 15th. Together with the team An Board, which enables people with cancer to sail, and the crew of Yachtclub Möhnesee, the crew of the Bat-Sailing Team confidently showed what opportunities inclusion in sailing provides on the regatta course.

Pictures: ©Sven Jürgensen