Historic German Championship in Vaʻa

Rerik, 27–28 June 2026

At the 8th German Long-Distance Championships in ocean sports, our Frankfurt Rowing and Canoe Club Sachsenhausen (FRVS) made history. As part of the Hawaiian Sports Festival in Rerik on the Baltic Sea, we impressed across several disciplines.

With a gold medal in the mixed V6 and a convincing win in the Vaʻa single, our team secured not only two titles but also underlined its leading role in German outrigger sport. The extreme conditions – heat and barely any swell – made the races a real challenge, yet the Frankfurt athletes showed class, endurance and tactical brilliance.

FRVS crew dominates over 22 kilometres

In the mixed V6 race, Florian Späth, André Niemann, Matthias Belitz, Lars Littfin, Christiane Pape and Gaby Dieckmann started for the FRVS. The 22-kilometre course led through the Salzhaff, around the island of Wustrow and back on the Baltic Sea.

Shortly after the start the Frankfurt crew took the lead and pulled away from their strongest rivals from Duisburg and Prenzlau. Despite difficult conditions with great heat, the FRVS athletes kept the pace consistently high. At the finish they had comfortably defended their lead, securing our club its first German long-distance title in the mixed V6 outrigger canoe.

Solo starters: gold and bronze for Frankfurt

Alongside the team successes, our athletes also shone in the individual events. For the first time this year, the Vaʻa single (V1 without rudder) was held at the German Championships. Florian Späth took on the challenge and dominated the 18 km race on a triangular course on the Baltic Sea. Despite the unusually flat conditions he used even small waves to surf and moved to the front early. With an impressive lead over Torben Kuhlmann (Duisburg) and Daniel Wesolowski (Zechlin), he comfortably took 1st place.

Christiane Pape also started in the OC-1 over the same distance. Pape fought her way to 3rd place in the women's classification, taking bronze behind Simone Ahrens (Hanover) and Lara Ehlis (Wuppertal). In the masters classification she crowned her performance with the vice-champion title.

A strong signal for the World Championships

With two wins, a silver and a bronze medal and further top placings, the FRVS presented itself as one of the most successful teams of the championship. The results are also a promising signal for the Sprint World Championships at the end of August in Singapore, where several Frankfurt athletes will again compete on the international stage.

Results overview: FRVS at the 2026 German Championships

• Mixed V6 (22 km) – Florian Späth, André Niemann, Matthias Belitz, Lars Littfin, Christiane Pape, Gaby Dieckmann: 1st place, German champions (Mixed)
• Vaʻa single (18 km) – Florian Späth: 1st place, gold (Open Men)
• OC-1 (18 km) – Christiane Pape: 3rd place, bronze (Open Women)
• OC-1 (18 km) – Christiane Pape: 2nd place, silver (Masters Women)
• OC-1 (18 km) – Lars Littfin: 5th place (Master 50 Men)

Outrigger canoes, also called Vaʻa, originally come from the Pacific region. Their characteristic feature is the float attached to the side, which gives the boat additional stability. They are particularly well suited to the sea in moderate wind and waves.