First look at the sailing program of the 89th Warnemünder Woche: J/22 World Championship and 505 European Championship

For the second time since 2019, the J/22 World Championship will take place in Warnemünde, and for the fourth time in Germany. The fact that the race will be held in German waters again in 2027 is welcome news for the J/22 sailing community in Germany, as the World Championship has frequently been held in America in the past – resulting in a correspondingly small number of European crews.

The J/22 class will once again determine its new world champions in the USA this year, with the races starting in New Orleans at the beginning of October. The only European sailor currently registered is Dutchman Jean-Michel Lautier, who won the world title with his crew in Warnemünde in 2019, as well as last year in Naples, Italy, and again in 2023 by a large margin in Travemünde, where he was runner-up in 2015. He will certainly not miss the opportunity to win another title in the familiar sailing waters off Warnemünde.

However, the competition from Germany is also strong. In 2025, two successful J/22 sailors, Andreas Dillmann and Thorsten Spotter, finished second and third respectively behind the Dutchman Lautier at the World Championships in Naples. Two years earlier, the German sailors Jürgen Eiermann and Wolf Jeschonek joined him on the podium. In 2019, Reiner Brockerhoff became Vice World Champion in Warnemünde and currently leads the German J/22 rankings ahead of Thorsten Spotter and Andreas Dillmann.

Thirty-one crews competed in the 2019 World Championships in Warnemünde. Ralf Bergel, Chairman of the Warnemünder Woche, hopes for good registration numbers for the coming year as well: “We are delighted that the J/22 class has chosen our sailing area to hold its World Championship and is returning to Warnemünde with the World Championship after many years. We hope for good international participation.”

The J/22 Class Association also promotes international participation by referring to the popular mix of international sailing competitions and festival atmosphere at the Warnemünder Woche to allow as many international crews as possible to participate, charter boats will be provided.

The J/22 is a sporty keelboat and the smallest in the J/Boats class. Designed in the USA, it has been on the market since 1983. Currently, the 6,86-meter J/22, with its balsa wood core sandwich construction, is built in Italy and is known for its high stability and easy handling. In 1993, the J/22 class was officially recognized as an international one-design class. The first World Championship was held the following year. Member nations include Canada, the Cayman Islands, France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the USA.

European Championship of the "Five"

After the 505s at the 87th Warnemünder Woche Having competed in the Euro Cup in 2025, they will travel to the European Championships next year. Last year's Euro Cup was won convincingly by the successful sailing duo Jan-Philipp Hofmann and Felix Brockerhoff from the Düsseldorf Yacht Club, who have been sailing together for 18 years – initially in the 470, later in the 420, and since 2013 in the 505. This year, the team finally achieved their long-awaited World Championship victory off Hayling Island in England, after narrowly missing out on titles several times. In Warnemünde, they will certainly try to build on their World Championship success at the European Championships. They have already brought home two European Championship silver medals, narrowly missing gold on both occasions. Therefore, they will be all the more determined to finally stand atop the podium at the continental level in 2027, following their World Championship gold and numerous gold medals at national regattas. Since the Euro Cup podium in 2025 was entirely German, strong German participation is also expected at the European Championship.

The 505 is a two-person dinghy whose name derives from its length (5,05 m). It is considered fast, agile, and therefore challenging to sail. The level of competition in regattas is correspondingly high. The dinghy was designed in 1954 by the Briton John Westell.

In 2005, Warnemünde hosted the 50th World Championship for the 505 class. 170 boats from twelve nations across four continents participated – an absolute record number of entries. “The 505 class, including the European Championship, was a guest at the…” Warnemünder Woche “Having them, and presumably also the newly crowned world champions from Germany, is fantastic. I’m looking forward to an exciting European Championship,” says Ralf Bergel.