The sailing heart of the world is currently beating in Kiel, the “Sailing City” of Germany: It´s Kiel Week and that´s indeed the biggest sailing event there is in the world. With some 3 million visitors, it´s also the biggest summer festival in Northern Europe. The sailing elite from more than 60 nations – that´s some 4.500 skippers are fighting in all the boat classes for the different championships. But there´s much more to it. This article shows how a little 7.80 meters long boat could potentially shake up the small boat business and at the same time become a landmark for inclusive sailing.
Kiel, or if I am precise, the Olympic marina in Schilksee, is indeed the epicenter of German sailing. You may have read my article “Training with Olympians” about a my kids participating in a one week intensive Optimist-camp – this took place exactly here at this historic venue. Once a year, Kiel-Schilksee turns even more sailing nuts for the famous Kiel Week, which I was happy to visit yesterday. The weather was awesome: 25 degrees Celsius, clear blue sky and some 10-15 knots of wind outside. Perfect conditions, I´d say.
At the Kiel Week 2026!
The Kiel Week has been invented by German sailing enthusiasts, naval officers and rich merchantmen in 1882, inspired by the Cowes Week. It was the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, wo indeed was a keen and aspiring sailor himself, who pushed the event to become a high-class sports venue with an international reputation. A reputation it kept through the decades until today. I stroll along the marina and watch as the 49ers are put into the water: Colorful flags from all over world, including Japan, proudly presented on their black laminate sails.
The 49ers are getting ready
Their mixed crews were young people, maybe 20 years of age maximum. Boys, and girls alike. It´s always such a nice view to see youngsters enjoying the sport, working with their equipment, wearing the sailing clothes and handling their boats and their sports like true pros: I believe there is nothing better for young people for their development than sailing. But then, just behind these carbon-fiber high tech flyers, another boat was casting off. And something was odd about it … can you spot it?
Inclusive sailing – still a taboo?
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On one of the opposite pontoons a small sailboat was casting off its landlines. I only noticed it because there was a bunch of journalists surrounding it. Cameras were rolling, pictures taken. “What´s so special about that boat?”, I thought and walked up to it. Was there a sailing VIP, an ex-World Champion or any other famous person aboard? Nope! As it turned out, it was even better. This is the HENK DE MOL, a special one-off based on the Bente 24, purpose built and refit to suit the demands for inclusive sailing.
Small, but very special …
As HENK DE MOL slowly and silently left her berth, I quickly understood why there were so many journalists. There in the back, a wheelchair had been shackled to the boat´s floor. Watching the crew go out, right behind the ultra-fast 49ers, was a sight that suddenly made me feel like I´d had a lump in my throat. It touched me emotionally, not out of pity or sorrow, but out of sheer joy. This “contrast” of the sporty flying sailors in their wetsuits and this little disabled woman in her wheelchair was awe-inspiring indeed! Because, if we are honest … sailing with a handicap, or handicapped topics themselves are still a kind of taboo nowadays. Most people think that having wheelchair-ramps in train stations is enough. No. It´s not.
Can you spot it?
As for sailing with disabilities, it´s mostly about competitive sailing, for example the 2.4mR-class (where still Peter Norlin´s) design is king, by the way) or purpose-built and adjusted J/70 or Laser Bahias. But “normal” sailing, sailing just for fun, like we we all love to do on a weekend … there´s seldom a choice for people in wheelchairs. The RS Venture Connect is such a fun-oriented keelboat, but fairly small. There is indeed some choice for handicapped skippers if they want to sail fast, but very little for people who just want to have fun or experience the sensation of sailing.
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A question of dignity and self-determination
Why am I insisting on bringing up this topic, you might ask yourself. What´s the percentage of disabled people who would like to sail? It´s miniscule, right? Well, I think literally and figuratively, boats and people with disabilities are the perfect match to think and talk about inclusion! Boats, ships, yachts are focal point and the one incarnation of the word “freedom”! If you ask ten sailors what they are getting out of sailing and what the most important feature about having a yacht and being a skipper was, I bet almost all will testify that they love it because of the freedom they feel when casting off their lines.
Self-determination and participation: So cool!
And here we have it: This shiny icon of freedom on the one side. And then there is this guy in the wheelchair. Non-freedom personified. Hindered. Disabled. In need of assistance. And, worst of all, not self-determined anymore. I am sure that “once landing in a wheelchair” is one of the top three nightmarish conceptions of everyone. We are happy, that we are lucky. That we are “free”. This Gordian Knot hit nowhere as hard as right here on the pontoon during the world´s biggest sailing party: A boat is casting off, a disabled woman takes the helm. What a powerful image!
This is the way to go.
It is not about entertaining the wheelchair-people for a day. It´s not about false charity and having a whitewashed peace of conscience. This, right here, is exactly what inclusion really means: Enabling everyone to take part in the society. And not only take part, but to be at the helm. Literally. Steering where they want to go. Initiating maneuvers, and out orders. Experience what we love so much about sailing: The freedom on the seas, the tranquility of marine nature, the sublime power of the winds. No joking around here, this really touched my heart deeply.
The fascinating and important concept of the new Bente 25
To be honest, I knew beforehand that this was going to happen. A few weeks before, when I was sea trialing the Bente 28 at the Lake Constance, Head of Bente Yachts Christian Daum did feed me with some exciting infos about a new boat that was currently in the pipeline. The new Bente 25, predecessor of the successful 24 which has been built some 200 times now. I meet Christian not far from the professional´s staging area: He is sitting in the wooden mockup of the new Bente 25.
A boat, accessible by ramp?
So how do inclusive sailing and this boat go together? Well, as you can see, there is a ramp attached to her stern. This is not a marketing gag, it´s an integral part of the boat´s concept. The new Bente 25 is currently in the protype-stage. The male model is currently drilled out of a huge block of styrofoam to become the mold for the female cast, which will eventually become the very mold of which all hulls will be produced. The new Bente 25 will come in two versions, Christian tells me: The classic cruising-boat with the iconic dodger, something that Bente is known and loved for, and the so called Bente 25 open.i-version. Which is on display as a mockup here.
Christian Daum, Head of Bente Yachts.
The idea, Christian says, is to offer a bold daysailer, that´s why the name “open”. A boat that will have a sleeping cabin and some stowage, but it´s primary intend is to function as a fun boat for having some sailing hours out on the water and have it tied up afterwards again. That is why the cockpit is so incredibly large: The boat measures 7.80 meters over all, the cockpit alone offers staggering 3.50 by 1.90 meters open free space on the cockpit! “It´s sick!”, Chistian says. But that´s only the stage on which the play will take place …
Disabled, handicapped or aged: Safe sailing for everyone
The new Bente 25 open.i will be equipped with three airplane rails: You can see them clearly in the pictures. With their help, wheelchairs can be secured in almost any position of the boat: Be it in the back to become the helmsman, near the little iconic Bente dodger to work the winches or just at the side for enjoying a fantastic view. “It´s also possible to sail in a cinema-configuration”, Christian adds: “Up to four wheelchairs in pairs after each other to have a group event.”
The Bente 25 open.i mockup.
There´s even more: The new Bente can be fitted with a special rigging system that will utilize the airplane rails. Just like a mainsheet traveler car, a special chair mounted on two crosswise fitted rails will make the term “active” sailing literal for disabled skippers: The person, provided being able to move the arms, can position himself from one side to the other. Hende, sitting on the high rails after a new tack is now possible! In most sailboats transformed to fit the special needs of handicapped sailors, you are strapped into your seat and cannot move at all. I really love this idea and I think it will re-define handicapped sailing for sure!
Airline tracks, part of the base boat.
Christian insists that this is not only for the disabled. There are so many people who are “just” too old, too week on their feet to sail anymore. Think of your grandfather or our grandmother: Why not coming up with a fun boat for those people as well? Fun, but safe. Entering and leaving the boat via ramp is a major leap in this context: Many disabled skippers have to crawl aboard or have to be winched on and off board by some sort of crane. Which, if you ask me, does not really help in terms of dignity. As for the Bente 25 – demonstrated by the special purpose built HENK DE MOL – utilizing a comfy ramp is a game changer. As is the huge wide cockpit.
A “special needs boat”? Not at all!
And here comes the nice part about the Bente 25 open.i – it´s not a boat for disabled! The open daysailer-concept is suitable for everyone. For example, the lockers to both sides of the cockpits can be mounted or dismounted at will. The airplane rails can either be covered/closed with rubber-inlays when not in use to protect your toes. Or, which is even better, you can fit literally everything on them: Seats, a cockpit table or any other equipment you´d like”, Christian suggests.
So much volume in the cockpit!
It´s a versatile little boat that can be everything: Your youngster´s first race boat – equipped with a powerful fat-head mainsail or the retractable gennaker pole, the Bente 25 will be able to plane. She can also be your daddy´s fun boat, a quick dash out into the bay, drop your anchor and use her as your bathing platform. Enjoy a sundowner in the cockpit, just throw in some beanbags! And if you like, crawl into the double-berth in the bow area and have an overnighter.
Judel/Vrolijks Bente 25 open.i design.
Inspired by the groundworks done by the owner association of HENK DE MOL, the Bente development team worked hard with their designers at Judel/Vrolijk to come up with a boat that is simple, easy to use, lightweight so that she can be put on a trailer and rigged without external help. She is not a boat for the disabled, she is truly a boat for everyone. And, if I think about it a bit, maybe she is the first ever to truly earn this designation?
So much versatility and freedom of choice
It was and still is the one of the core features at Bente: Fun. These boats are colorful, cheeky and “different” in the best sense of the word. It´s not the grim do-or-die mentality of so many performance-oriented brands, it´s neither the lush over-exaggerated luxury of others. A Bente was always a boat for “the ordinary”, for “normal” people – in the best sense of the word. She is good looking and modern, at the same time modest and restrained.
… available as the iconic cruiser as well.
There will of course also be a cruising version of the Bente 25. This one will sport the iconic glass dodger – this time a structural part of the deck – and of course owners will be able to choose their favorite color for it: That´s valid for the cruise and for the open.i-version of the boat. Bente Yachts will therefore offer a cool predecessor for their 2014 launched workhorse and, if you ask me, a very attractive alternative for their Bente 28 which cannot be trailer-transported and is also exceeding the 200 k threshold.
Looks promising.
So, pampering their customer base is one thing. But offering a large open daysailer may also attract a whole new group of buyers: Sailors who do not necessarily need a bathroom nor a salon. They just want to have sailing fun but don´t want to buy an all-out racer. The new Bente 25 will come with a single-rudder, further simplifying the boat´s construction, maintenance and upkeep. She´s pre-rigged for a porta potty (or alternatively, a solid-separation toilet) or a portable fridge/freezer-box. It´s a cool platform that can take on any shape or form you wish for. Maybe this is the key to success?
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Clever ideas for a shaky market
I a boat market that is currently under severe stress, I am sure that the niche, not the mass market, is the way out for shipyards. Offering clever concept that bring real additional value, delivering aha-effects and opening up new horizons is the way to go. I a high-price phase like we all experience right now, people who are crazy enough to spend those high budgets, ask for real solutions, quality and surplus value. The Bente 25 is a bold step, attracting a new group of sailors and, by offering a ready-to-sail inclusive version, may be the door opener to sailing clubs, all sorts of maritime-oriented associations, sailing schools and, yes, to companies or clubs offering sailing sensations to handicapped people.
We´ll meet again when she´s a complete boat.
Christian says that the feedback so far is breathtaking. He receives inquiries from all over Europe, from private skippers as well as from clubs and associations. I wish and hope that the Bente 25 open.i will not just only be a commercial success for the shipyard, but a literal “ramp” for many more people to take a look at what freedom really means. What a cool concept, Christian! I am so excited to see the first open.i in the water – and I insist on a sea trial, including a test of the “traveler seat”!
Copyrights for the pics which I didn´t shoot: (c) Wir sind Wir-Inclusion in Sailing e.V. / Moritz Becker / Sven Jürgensen
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