Segelverein Witten-Kemnade e.V.
Segelverein Witten-Kemnade e.V. (SVWK) is a sailing club on Lake Kemnade and the Ruhr River in the triangle between Bochum, Dortmund and Wuppertal. The club facilities with the sailors’ house lie in a side arm of the lake and are shared with other water-sports clubs; there are also pontoons in Heveney harbour, Optimist boxes and a club-owned boat hall of about 60 square metres used as winter storage. The programme includes youth training in Optimist, RS Feva and 420, shared use of club boats such as H-Boot and Kielzugvogel, as well as Folkboat trips and sailing holidays. Every Thursday children and young people from age six meet at the sailors’ house for training, complemented by a winter programme and annual trips to Lake Ratzeburg. The club maintains an active community of junior and adult sailing and welcomes beginners and experienced sailors for leisure sailing on easily accessible Lake Kemnade.
History
Segelverein Witten-Kemnade e.V. sails on Lake Kemnade, a reservoir on the Ruhr completed in 1979 between Bochum, Witten and Hattingen. The lake was originally built by the Ruhrverband for Freizeitzentrum Kemnade GmbH; since 1995 the Ruhrverband has been responsible for the reservoir while FZK runs leisure operations. The club site with the sailors’ house lies in a side arm and is shared by the water-sports clubs on the lake, as are about 150 shore berths and Heveney harbour with seven pontoons. Independently, SVWK runs a boat hall of about 60 square metres near the lake as winter storage. Over the years the club built a strong youth section with Optimists, RS Feva and 420 as well as shared club boats such as H-Boots. Folkboat tours on the Baltic and Schlei, Baltic cruises and annual sailing holidays on Lake Ratzeburg are part of club life. During the July 2021 flood Lake Kemnade was temporarily closed; according to the club the fleet was undamaged. In 2022 long-standing board member and former boat warden Ingbert Dickel passed away. In March 2026 the annual general meeting elected David as first and Henning as second chair and opened the new season.
Information
Facilities
Sailors’ house on a side arm of Lake Kemnade with training rooms, Heveney harbour with pontoons and Optimist boxes, shared shore berths, club boat hall of about 60 m² as winter storage, parking at the club grounds.
Activities
Youth and Optimist training, leisure sailing on Lake Kemnade, Folkboat tours, Baltic cruises, sailing holidays on Lake Ratzeburg, haul-out and winter-storage work parties, winter programme with theory and swimming.
Youth section
Active children’s and youth group from age six with Optimist, RS Feva and 420 training Thursdays 16:15–18:15, sailing holidays and winter programme in the sailors’ house.
Parking
Yes, parking at the club grounds