Segelclub "Weserstrand" Elsfleth e.V.
Segelclub "Weserstrand" Elsfleth e.V. (SWE) is a long-established water sports club at a tide-free marina in Elsfleth, directly where the Hunte meets the Weser between Bremen and Bremerhaven. On roughly 18 hectares of water the club offers modern pontoons for nearly 150 boats, four winter storage halls, a slipway, mast crane and a sports lock to the Weser; the clubhouse with restaurant has been a popular meeting place for members and guests since 1986. Juniors learn sailing in Optimists or dinghy groups with weekly training, while adults race in the SWE Segelliga or cruise on the Lower Weser, tidal flats and North Sea coast. The club provides training for the sport boat licence (sea), DSV sport sailing certificate and SRC, and has fostered an active club community since its founding in 1914 through festivals, regattas and shared work duties.
History
Segelclub "Weserstrand" Elsfleth was founded in 1914 by sailing enthusiasts from Elsfleth – one month before the outbreak of the First World War. Over the following decades the club endured inflation in 1923, heavy yacht taxation in 1928, political pressure from 1933, wartime destruction of the clubhouse in 1945 and the seizure of hidden boats by occupying forces. After the war the marina grew when the Hunte barrage was built in the late 1970s and the redirected Hunte arm became a tide-free sports harbour; the sports lock links the harbour to the Weser. Since 1986 the clubhouse has housed catering and club life; it was comprehensively renovated in 2016. From 16 to 18 May 2014 the SWE celebrated its centenary with a festival programme at the marina; the anniversary publication won third prize in 2015 from the Lower Saxony Institute for Sports History. Storms, flooding, silting, boat accidents and rising berth fees repeatedly challenged the club – yet it always recovered through solidarity, voluntary work and member effort. Today SWE is a member of the German Sailing Association, maintains active youth work, regatta and cruising sailing, and trains sailors through licence and course programmes.
Information
Facilities
Tide-free marina with approx. 18 ha of water, sports lock to the Weser, pontoons for nearly 150 boats, four winter storage halls, open storage, slipway, mast crane, clubhouse with restaurant and terrace, solar installation on the club grounds.
Activities
Regatta sailing (SWE Segelliga, club regatta, Oldenburg regatta), cruising on the Lower Weser and North Sea coast, youth training in Optimist and dinghy groups, motor boating, skippers' gatherings, club festivals, chat evenings, morning drinks, sport boat licence (sea), sport sailing certificate and SRC training.
Youth section
Active youth section with Optimist and dinghy groups, weekly training, regattas, North Sea Week and youth weekends; contacts Jesse Wiesensee and Melina Remmers.
Guest berths
Yes, guest berths for a harbour fee
Boating license training
Available: 1
Christoph Wand
Alexander von Perger
Peter Buchmann
January to May