Spandauer Yacht-Club e.V. - 13595 Berlin-Spandau

Spandauer Yacht-Club e.V. is one of Germany's oldest sailing clubs and has been based on the Berlin Lower Havel since 1885. On the west bank of the Scharfe Lanke, the club offers three piers with more than 100 berths, a clubhouse with terrace and bar, the Optihaus and large boathalls with slipways, cranes and electric winches. The programme ranges from recreational sailing and dedicated youth work in Optimist, ILCA and 420 classes to regattas such as the Spandauer O, Opti Cup and Thursday evening series. Club boats from H-Boot and Dyas to Europe and charter dinghies are available to members; guest berths are welcome. This traditional club is a founding member of the German Sailing Association and celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2025.

Berlin-Spandau, Deutschland

History

On 2 August 1885, forty gentlemen founded the "Segler-Club Tegel-See" on the private island of Valentinswerder in Berlin-Tegel, the club from which the Spandauer Yacht-Club later emerged. The first regatta was held in the founding year. In 1888, chairman Dr Otto Rieß was among the representatives who founded the German Sailing Association. In 1897 the club won two Centenary Shields at the Centenar races off Kiel, one of which remains in the club's possession today. In 1903 the first clubhouse on Bastion IX of Spandau Fortress was inaugurated and registration in the club register was applied for. In 1913 the club moved to the Lower Havel at the Scharfe Lanke. A new half-timbered clubhouse was inaugurated in 1921; by 1925 the club had 130 members and more than 70 boats. Women were admitted for the first time in 1933. In 1936 Jochen Weise and Dr Peter Bischoff won Olympic gold in the Star class; Weise became world champion in 1938. On 9 June 1938 the club was renamed "Spandauer Yacht-Club". In 1944 an air raid destroyed the clubhouse and almost all stored boats. In 1946, 25 members met to re-establish the club; the first post-war club regatta took place in 1948. The new clubhouse designed by Ernst Meyer sen. was inaugurated in 1953. The Nord pier was built in the 1960s; Jürgen Heyderhoff became German champion in the 20er Jollenkreuzer. In the 1970s Götz Schreiber and Hans-Joachim Pusch rounded Cape Horn west to east with "Joshua"; Harm-Hinrich Rotermund sailed through the Strait of Magellan in 1981. The centenary was celebrated in the Gothic Hall of Spandau Citadel; Ernst Meyer jun. and Susanne Meyer became German Optimist champions, and Susanne Meyer and Katrin Adlkofer won 470 world titles and received the Silver Laurel Leaf. In the 1990s the site grew with the former Reinicke shipyard; the Optihaus was built in 1994. Junior successes followed in the 470 and Folkboat classes; a Melges 24 was purchased in 2009. The club hosted the 420 German Championship in 2010 and the Nordic Folkboat Gold Cup in 2015. The clubhouse was renovated in 2016/2017 and the piers have been modernised since 2018. In 2025 the club celebrated 140 years as a founding member of the DSV.

Information

Facilities

Three piers with more than 100 berths on the west bank of the Scharfe Lanke; clubhouse with covered terrace, "Messe" bar, meeting rooms and multimedia equipment; Optihaus with sanitary facilities, changing rooms and fitness studio; large boathall with slipway on a second property; two slipways with electric winches, stationary crane (max. 2 t) and mast crane; guest room, youth room and archive on the upper floor.

Activities

Youth and adult training, regatta sailing, Thursday regatta series, yardstick races, cruising, sport boat licence courses, trial sailing for children, club championship, in-house regattas such as Spandauer O and Opti Cup, sailing on club boats.

Youth section

Active youth section with Optimist, ILCA and 420 training in several groups; own Optimist fleet, free use in the first year; entry from age 6; youth officers Jan Schöllhammer and Alexander Stendel reachable at jugend@spyc.de.