Please select your home edition
Edition
Barton Marine 2019 728x90

32 clubs from 12 nations are ready for SAILING Champions League Final in St. Moritz

by SAILING Champions League 8 Aug 2018 00:28 AEST 30 August 2 September 2018
SAILING Champions League 2018 © SCL / Andrey Sheremetev

Norddeutscher Regatta Verein has won the second Semifinal of the SAILING Champions League 2018 in St Petersburg, Russia after four days of challenging racing. Norddeutscher Regatta Verein only just beat fellow Germans Deutscher Touring Yacht Club by 2.8 points, with Russia's Navigator Sailing Team in third overall. Now, 32 clubs from 12 nations are qualified for the big Final of SAILING Champions League in St. Moritz from 30 August to 2 September.

Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) mastered the most challenging of river-racing conditions in St Petersburg to win the 24-team Semifinal #2 of the SAILING Champions League 2018. It's a repeat victory for the German club which won in Russia a year ago. Across the four days of competition, Navigator Sailing Team from Russia managed six race wins across 16 races, an impressive number of bullets. However, no one could match the consistency of NRV which scored five bullets but also never scored worse than 5th in any of the races, each of which was an eight-boat short-course windward-leeward contest.

Florian Haufe, helmsman of NRV, commented: "We are very happy to have qualified for the final in St. Moritz and even more with the overall win here in St Petersburg. Today, every single manoeuvre counted. We made a few mistakes less than the other teams. With the 3-knot current we tried to sail a bit more conservative than normally. It worked – we played our cards well."

While last year's wind came from every quarter and every day brought a very different race course, 2018 was blessed with four days of westerly winds. Two days with lighter winds, two days with stronger winds, but always sun and the summer conditions drew big crowds of spectators to the banks of the river where they enjoyed world-class racing right in front of the historic Peter and Paul Fortress.

Boathandling was critical on the final day, with the winds gusting close to 30 knots and many crews unable to control the boats through manoeuvres, often resulting in some spectacular wipe-outs and broaches. The shoreside spectators loved the show, as did those who tuned in from around the world to enjoy the live broadcast by SAP.

In total, 16 of the 24 teams in St Petersburg have qualified for the SAILING Champions League Final in St Moritz a few weeks from now. The 16 clubs from Russia will join the final's host club Segel-Club St. Moritz, the SCL champion from 2017 Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the 14 clubs who qualified from Semifinal #1 in Porto Cervo back in June, making it 32 international clubs from 12 nations who will be competing high up in the Swiss Alps for the title of "Best Sailing Club of the Year" from 30 August to 2 September.

The sailors were full of praise for the host organisation, St Petersburg Yacht Club, who was supported by its main partner Gazprom. Elena Solovyeva, Project Manager of SPBYC, explains: "One of the goals of St. Petersburg Yacht Club is the organisation of sailing events in our city, our country and it's impossible to do it better than hosting an event right in the heart of our amazing city. Citizens and visitors of our city are able to see this level of sailing. We had three days of perfect weather, wind, sun and almost no rain. We are very happy and I think it's the best solution for events like SAILING Champions League having venues like this sailing stadium."

Live broadcasting by SAP

Did you miss the races of SAILING Champions League? Just visit sapsailing.com and click through the SAP Sailing Analytics for replays of all races and different and interesting statistics about the action on water. You find the overall results on sapsailing.com!

Click here for the list of qualifiers.

Related Articles

The SAILING Champions League finals
Ten nations were represented amongst the sailing teams The SAILING Champions League finals reached an exciting climax in Travemünde, offering four days of intense racing. The prestigious event saw the best thirty-six sailing teams from around the world compete for the coveted title. Posted on 5 Aug 2023
Australian clubs set for SAILING Champions League
Youth and Women's World Finals coming up over the next 3 months As the 2023 SAILING Champions League season gets to the pointy end the focus now shifts to the Open, Youth and Women's World Finals coming up over the next 3 months. Posted on 10 Jul 2023
RSYS reigns supreme in Asia Pacific final
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron has put its stamp on the sailing community The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron has put its stamp on the sailing community after going back-to-back in the SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific Final last weekend, hosted on the iconic Pittwater by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. Posted on 26 May 2023
Ultimate bragging rights on the line
In SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific Final The stage is set for a much anticipated SAILING Champions League Asia Pacific Final as 16 teams will go head to head on 20-21 May to see who will be crowned the best sailing club in the region. Posted on 12 May 2023
RPAYC set to host 2023 SCL - Asia Pacific Final
The SAILING Champions League Asia Pacific Final is set to be held on May 20th and 21st This year's SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific Final is set to be held at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club on May 20th and 21st. Posted on 6 Mar 2023
DSS crowned 2023 VIC Sailing League champions
Derwent Sailing Squadron secure a spot in the SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific Final Derwent Sailing Squadron were crowned VIC Sailing League Champions last weekend after some heated racing at the VIC Sailing League Final during Festival of Sails at Royal Geelong Yacht Club. Posted on 31 Jan 2023
NRV wins 2022 SAILING Champions League
The final could hardly have ended more exciting 36 teams, 15 nations (Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Italy, Poland, France, Turkey, Lithuania, Latvia, Australia, Great Britain, and Vanuatu), and 72 races sailed on a matched fleet of six J/70 one-design sailboats. Posted on 30 Jul 2022
Mornington Yacht Club crowned best in Asia Pacific
Following SAILING Champions League win The Mornington YC has qualified to represent Australia in the SAILING Champions League Finals in Germany later this year after clinching an incredible victory in both the U22 and Open divisions of the Asia Pacific Final in Newcastle this past weekend. Posted on 31 Mar 2022
Tasmanians look to go back-to-back
With new-look team in 2022 SAILING Champions League The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania will be looking to continue its form from last year and be crowned the SAILING Champions League winners for the second year running. Posted on 25 Mar 2022
Mornington YC gets redemption on last season
Securing a berth in the SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific Final The Mornington Yacht Club has redeemed itself after missing qualification for the Asia Pacific Final last season, clinching the SAILING Champions League qualifier event in Geelong last week in an epic finish and booking their spot for Newcastle in March. Posted on 1 Feb 2022
Vetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 FOOTERPantaenius Sail 2025 AUS FooterMaritimo 2023 S-Series FOOTER