Sailing Club
The BBIS Sailing Club has grown and expanded along with the school since its earliest days. In autumn 1992, the sailing club at BBIS (then ISBP, located in Potsdam) started with only three Optimist dinghies and a rowing boat. Following the school’s relocation to Neu Fahrland in 1997, more boats were added to the fleet, which soon consisted of 11 dinghies and a rowing boat with an outboard engine. At that time the students sailed on the lake right by the school and occasionally attended local sailing regattas.
After the move to Kleinmachnow in 2001, the fleet grew further and the sailing programme, now based at a sailing club in Potsdam, expanded rapidly, each year offering more weekly classes, regular sailing camps and intensive racing activities throughout the sailing season — some ambitious students have been attending races on as many as 14 weekends per year!
By autumn 2010, the BBIS Sailing Club owned 12 Optimist dinghies (five of which are suitable for competitive race sailing), six Ixylon dinghies, two Cadet dinghies, two safety boats (one for coastal water), a 32ft keelboat and a boat trailer carrying up to 10 Optimists.
The National Ixylon
This larger double-hander is commonly sailed by beginners aged 15 and above, or on occasion by crews of younger students accompanied by an instructor.
The International Optimist
The Optimist is the boat for learning to sail as well as race. The boat is safe for beginning sailors and challenging for more experienced young racers.
The International Cadet
The Cadet is a double-hander for 10- to 15-year-olds. At BBIS the boat was introduced in 2003, and it has enjoyed growing popularity since.
The BBIS Sailing Club offers a wide range of activities:
Learning to Sail and Cruising
Sailing is a unique outdoor sport. It appeals to many students, no matter what their backgrounds may be. The BBIS Sailing Club is able to offer a variety of programmes that integrate the interests of a large number of students and suit students at all levels of ability. To learn to sail is to acquire a skill for a lifetime.
Team Racing and Fleet Racing
Commitment, teamwork and the will to succeed are the attributes that best describe our racing team. Being on the team is extremely rewarding and enables students to build self-confidence and develop a wide range of life skills.
For many years, BBIS students have been amongst the best sailors aged 9 to 14 in the state of Brandenburg, and our students compete successfully at local, regional and national regattas.
Recently, a team of six students finished 10th at the 2010 Team Racing championships of the British School Dinghy Racing Association. This was the first time we travelled to Sevenoaks, England, to compete with 20 other school teams from around the UK. Team Racing proves very popular with our students, and will be expanded in the future.
Prior to that, and for four years in a row, BBIS Optimist sailors have successfully qualified for the International German Championships in the top national league of Optimist sailors. For two years running, BBIS students won the Brandenburg Championship in the top national league (Optimist A): Max L. in 2006 and Justus M. in 2007. In 2008 Mauriz M. finished second. Besides these awards, our students have won numerous other local and regional events since 2001, competing with young sailors from the wider Berlin Brandenburg region.
The Triton Project
In 2008, the BBIS Sailing Club bought the sailing yacht Triton, a classic 10 meter keel boat built of wood in 1915.
The Triton provides the unique opportunity to engage students of many ages in sailing as well as taking on responsibilities for maintaining this historic boat of unmatched charm. Her considerable, yet manageable size is perfectly suited to the activities we engage in.
The Triton is a traditional long-keel yacht with a sail area of 40 m²:
Length overall: 10.4 meter
Displacement: 4.5 t
Building materials: hull – oak; ribs – oak and steel; deck – Oregon pine
Christian Schmelz
Sailing Club Coordinator
