Kiel, July 13, 2025 – The SAILING Champions League 2025 has been decided: Victory goes to Denmark – to the Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub. The team led by skipper Jeppe Borch prevailed against strong competition in a dramatic final four, making history: KDY is the first team to win the prestigious title for the second time – eleven years after its first victory in 2014.
33 clubs from 14 nations – a weekend full of top-class sport
From July 11 to 13, 2025, 33 of the best sailing clubs from 14 nations sailed for the international club title directly off the Kiellinie – hosted by the Hotel Kieler Yacht-Club. Included: teams from Germany, Denmark, Norway, the USA, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, Finland, Ireland, the United Kingdom – and New Caledonia, which had the longest journey with the team from Cercle Nautique Calédonien. Despite typical northern German weather – sun, gray skies, drizzle, shifting winds of up to 14 knots – the favorites emerged early. After 14 flights and a total of 42 races, the top ten clubs were only a few points apart before the final four.
A thrilling Final Four – with lead changes, second decisions and history
In the first race of the Final Four, Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub won by a narrow margin of 9 seconds against Mühlenberger Segel-Club (GER). The second race was just as high-class: Bandholm Sejlklub (DEN) and Tønsberg Seilforening (NOR) were in the lead for a long time, but Mühlenberger Segel-Club and the KDY followed suit on the final downwind. In the end, Kongelig Dansk took the lead with a 30-meter advantage – and never let the victory slip away. The team from Copenhagen was thus crowned the winner of the SAILING Champions League once again, eleven years after the historic start in 2014.
Voices on the victory
“This moment means an incredible amount to us,” said skipper Jeppe Borch after the final race. “The league has developed enormously since our first title in 2014 – and the fact that we were the first team to win for the second time today makes us proud.”
An international statement
The organizers also draw a positive conclusion: “With the record participation of 33 teams and nations such as Ireland, which sent a team for the first time, or New Caledonia, which once again came from the South Pacific, it shows that the SAILING Champions League continues to grow,” said Managing Director Oliver Schwall of SAILING Champions League GmbH.
The event was supported by a comprehensive live stream from SailTracks, which broadcast the action on the water in high-resolution images worldwide.
