When Sailing Events Become Festivals
by Mark Jardine 23 Jul 18:00 BST
RS Feva World Championship 2026 Opening Ceremony at Travemünde Woche © Mark Jardine
A couple of weeks ago I wrote 'Think Destination, Do it Different, Grow Participation', discussing how events which are breaking out from the norm are thriving.
Most sailing championships on their own are just that. A concentration of sailors turning up to a venue to compete. There will be between three and seven days of racing scheduled, a regatta dinner, some socials, and probably a class association AGM thrown in, where ideas are discussed such as next year's calendar, rule tweaks, and how to draw new people into the class. I'm sure many readers will find the format very familiar, and even those who've been 'retired' from championship sailing for a while will know the routine well.
This week I'm at Travemünder Woche, the huge sailing and seaside festival in Germany, which is steeped in tradition, but is putting sailing in front of a vast audience. Thousands of tourists flock to the town to take in the sights and the spectacle on the water. There's a plethora of food and clothing stalls along the waterfront, together with demonstrations, the army, tall ships going up and down the river, and entertainment in the evening. It may be the 137th edition of the event, but it's staying current and drawing in the crowds. Travemünder Woche isn't just a sailing event, it's a community gathering which the entire town has bought into.
The foundation of RS Sailing is its community, so hosting the RS Games at Travemünder Woche feels like a natural fit, and that's exactly what is happening this year. A host of World and European Championships in RS classes being held during the festival mean that for the sailors this is much more than just a regatta - it's a celebration and a pretty-much continuous party.
The RS Games, which first started in 2011 as a test for the London 2012 Olympic venue, are held once every four years and the three previous editions were all at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in the UK, so taking the event overseas came with no small measure of risk. The sailors, in particular the youth classes of the RS Tera and RS Feva, have fully bought into it for their World Championships with hundreds of boats out on the water.
Having the might of the Travemünder Woche organisers working together with the RS team has been beneficial for all. The event is more of a sailing spectacle due to the fleet sizes, while for the sailors much of the shoreside entertainment is already set up. Even the festival poster features a painting of a fleet of RS Aeros sailing downwind in a big sea, which is apt as the class is seeing exactly that in Lübeck Bay when the wind is up.
Due to the size of some of the fleets, the sailing events are staggered, which has allowed some people to compete in more than one class. An example is Ian and Laura Jubb, who sailed an RS800 together for the first half of the RS Games, with Laura going straight into the RS Feva Worlds, while dad 'Jubby' - as everyone knows him - is now competing in the RS21 Eurocup. Elsie and Scott Munro are another example, with Elsie helming an RS800 in the Europeans at just 13 years old with her dad crewing for her, and then going straight into helming a Feva at the Worlds.
Wherever you look there are families making the most of the trip, also trying crew combinations they otherwise wouldn't, as well as taking in the attractions that the festival aspect of the week has to offer. Yes, Travemünder Woche is traditional in many ways, but it's also contemporary with its nightlife and other entertainment. Going out on a limb to hold the RS Games here has been an inspired decision.
Alex Newton-Southon, RS Sailing's Managing Director and long-time sailor in various RS classes, is proud of the decision to come to Travemünde, "It's one of the greatest things we've done I think. We're showing the community of the RS Games outside of the UK, and a large proportion of the people here are new to RS. Inspiring new generations to be on the water is our key focus and is very much what we stand for."
A highlight of the festival were the Trave Races each evening: short course racing for different fleets on the river, right in front of the shoreside crowds with live commentary in both German and English. Wednesday saw the youngest in the RS Aero fleet racing. The kids taking part had already completed a full day on the water in the Youth Worlds, so the gusts and shifts pushed them to the max, but it was yet another demonstration of how the event is getting sailing in front of the public.
It's the Fevas' turn tonight on the Trave course, with the RS21s out on Saturday, so more fun and games for sailors and spectators alike.
Around the world there are examples of events which have embraced the festival atmosphere and ethos; the Royal Geelong Yacht Club's Festival of Sails is an obvious example. It's the Southern Hemisphere's largest keelboat sailing regatta and Australia's oldest continuous sporting event, featuring competitive racing on Corio Bay alongside a vibrant shoreside festival with live entertainment, food markets, and family activities.
Cowes Week is reinvigorated in the build-up to celebrating its bicentenary in early August. The fireworks and an aerial display are returning, which are both sure to draw the crowds onto the ferries and across to the Isle of Wight. The food stalls, bars and retailers will benefit from increased trade, and the UKSA will be providing free try-sailing sessions for visitors. The spectacle and atmosphere, as well as the classic scenes of fleets finishing at the Royal Yacht Squadron line - as picnickers relax on Prince's Green within touching distance of the yachts - could well persuade the watchers and bystanders to give sailing a go.
It made me think about what other coastal events could benefit from a sailing event, and vice versa. Could the Rock Oyster Festival in Cornwall - which is hosting some major music acts such as Groove Armada, Scissor Sisters and Sam Ryder - have a sailing event alongside it? Could the Fêtes Maritimes de Brest, the quadrennial festival along the French Atlantic coast celebrating international seafaring traditions with dockside music villages, artisan boatbuilding displays, and massive fleet parades, also host sailing events? For sure there are practical aspects to all of this, but Travemünder Woche is proving that the obstacles can be overcome.
There's even the low-hanging fruit, such as boat shows. A few years back the Battle of the Classes was held firstly in the dock outside the ExCeL centre at the London Boat Show, and later moved to the Southampton Boat Show. It's a spectacle for the crowds, a showcase for competitive sailing, and the visitors are inherently interested in the pastime.
Food for thought! We, as sailors, need to come up with ideas to inspire the next generation, and it's heartening to see Travemünder Woche and the RS Games working together to do exactly that.
Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor