Premiere: Eurochallenge of the O'pen Skiff at the Warnemünder Woche
For the first time, the junior O'pen Skiff class is making a stop at the Eurochallenge. Warnemünder WocheNearly 50 sailors from four nations have already registered for the second regatta of this year's Eurochallenge. Polish sailors are particularly well represented, including the winner of the series' opening regatta in Porto Rotondo, Sardinia. Among the German participants is the successful young sailor Mila Weniger from Thuringia.
Mila Weniger, a highly experienced open skiff sailor, will be competing in the Eurochallenge. Last year, she secured her second consecutive victory at the Open Nationals during Travemünde Week, winning every race in the regatta. The sailor from the Zeulenroda reservoir is among the top German favorites for the Eurochallenge in Warnemünde. Other strong German competitors are also registered: her clubmate Amy Konrad, runner-up at the 2025 German Nationals, and Florian Schlupp from Lusatia, who finished third. For all three – as for many of the Eurochallenge participants – the World Championship off Sardinia is the next regatta on the agenda at the end of July.
Three days of racing (July 6th to 8th) await the young athletes at the Eurochallenge in Warnemünde. The starting signal for the first race is scheduled for 12 noon on Monday, July 6th. Boys and girls will sail together in the U13 and U17 age groups. Nearly three-quarters of the total fleet will compete in the U17 category. One-third of all participants are female.
According to current registration figures, Poland is the most represented nation at the Eurochallenge, followed by Germany. Sailors from India will also be competing, and will subsequently travel to Italy for the World Championship. A World Championship participant from the USA is also taking advantage of the long journey to participate in the Eurochallenge beforehand. "We are delighted to welcome sailors from three continents to the Eurochallenge. It is regrettable, but understandable, that we will likely have to do without the participation of the large Italian O'pen skiff fleet due to the upcoming World Championship in Italy. Nevertheless, we are pleased with the number of entries and hope that the sailors enjoy themselves in Warnemünde," says Ralf Bergel, Chairman of the Warnemünder Woche.
The O'pen Skiff Eurochallenge is an international regatta series with three to four stops annually. Warnemünde is one of three venues for this year's Eurochallenge. The two best results of the series count towards the overall ranking for all sailors. The opening regatta took place over Easter weekend in Porto Rotondo, Sardinia. Warnemünde is the second stop, before the Eurochallenge final in September on Lake Balaton in Hungary.
The goal of the international O'pen Skiff class is to offer young sailors exciting and innovative international and national regatta formats. With short, fast races, frequent course changes, and freestyle maneuvers, the class focuses on a blend of recreational and competitive sailing to inspire a long-term passion for sailing in the next generation. The sporty 2,75-meter O'pen Skiff is perfectly suited as an entry-level class for competitive and ambitious sailing.
