Sailing

Sports Facilities

Target Group and Prerequisites

The only requirement for becoming a member is that you have fun sailing. However, the skippers responsible for a voyage must always be able to show their inland sport boat license, the A license. If you do not yet have this, you can obtain it in one of our sailing courses. Minors must submit a written consent form from their guardian before participating in the University Sports Center's offer.

Content and Objectives

The boathouse at Wildenhof at Rursee is available for general sailing. You can sail here at any time during the summer against the beautiful backdrop.

Particularities

The season begins with repair weekend and kickoff, during which the boats are readied for the season and brought to the water. The season ends in the fall. Throughout the season members sail in small, fun regattas, and some days are rounded out with a bbq. The dates are announced on the website and via email.
You need an orientation for each type of boat, which you can get from the person responsible or course instructor.
Furthermore, you must spend ten hours working on boat maintenance during the season, regardless of when you join. You can do this at the kick off or the end and during the repair weekends. The completed hours are recorded by the course instructors, representatives, or captains, and can be viewed online on the HSZ website.
If you want to sail with a sailing group member, you can purchase a day card for ten Euros. This allows you to sail on one of our boats on the day booked.

Costs

The cost is 70 Euros per year. For sailing beginners, the sailing course during the summer semester offers the opportunity to join the sailing group for the remainder of the season for 35 Euros, that is half the price. All the sailboats come with liability insurance for sailing group members with a deductible of 500 Euros.

Registration

Registration for new members begins at the beginning of April in the HSZ office. Please bring a passport photo and your sailing license. You can also renew your membership starting at the beginning of April using the HSZ online portal. You can then have your sailing license stamped in the HSZ office or by the Wildenhof caretaker. There is a 50 percent reduction to the price of the sailing card seven weeks before the new sports program begins.

Target Group and Requirements

This course is aimed at anyone who wants to learn sailing and obtain the official Inland Sport Boat License (SBF-B) for sailing and (optionally) motorized boats. No prior knowledge is required, but participants must of course be able to swim.

Content and Goals

Participants will learn how to safely operate sailboats and (optionally) motorboats in both theory and practice. The training prepares participants for the SBF-B exam, which takes place on the last day of the course.

The SBF-B license permits the operation of sports boats under sail/motor up to 20 meters in length on inland waterways (rivers, canals, and lakes, with a few exceptions).

Course Structure and Special Features

The sailing course is an intensive block course held at the RWTH Wildenhof facility on the Rursee in the Eifel region. The Wildenhof is located about 45 km from Aachen, and participants typically carpool for travel to and from the location.

The course consists of a week-long session (Tuesday to Sunday) where theory and practical training alternate, followed by two additional weekends for further practical training. The final exam takes place on the last Sunday. During the course, participants stay overnight at the Rursee, either in the available rooms or in tents. Meals are self-prepared in small cooking groups, with a kitchen provided.

The sailing course offers the opportunity to learn sailing on various types of boats. These include the slightly larger Polyvalken and smaller dinghies of the types RS Vision, Lis, and Laser. Participants will also practice righting the boats after capsizing, especially when sailing dinghies.

Additional Costs

Since in Germany, boats with motors up to 15 HP can now be operated without a license, participants can choose whether they want to take the exam for sailing only or for both sailing and motorboats. As the exam fees differ for these two options, they are not included in the course fee.

The exam fees are paid through a separate course offering and are collected and sent to the German Motor Yacht Association, which administers the exam. Only one of the two course offerings needs to be booked. The "Exam Fees with Motor" option also includes the cost of motorboat training (since the university sports department does not own a motorboat, this training is provided in cooperation with the Schwammenauel Motorboat School).

There are additional costs:

• Exam fees through the separate course offering: either €130 (sailing only) OR €300.50 (sailing and motor)
• On-site catering: approx. €80
• Accommodation at Wildenhof: €5 per night for tent / €8 for a room (€35/€56 total)
• Textbook and practice rope: approx. €35
• Medical fitness certificate: €10 through the university sports center (details in the preliminary meeting), €20-30 from other doctors
• Travel costs

Target Audience and Prerequisites

This offer is aimed at anyone interested in a course for the Sport Boat License for Coastal Waters, abbreviated as SBF See, and the Coastal Skipper License, abbreviated as SKS.

The Sport Boat License for Coastal Shipping Routes is an official certificate required to operate motorized sports boats with an engine power of more than 11.03 kW when using a combustion engine and 7.5 kW when using an electric motor on coastal shipping routes. It is valid without length restrictions and exclusively for private use of sports boats. The prerequisites for obtaining an official sport boat license are reaching the age of 16 and having basic health fitness.

The Coastal Skipper License (SKS) is intended for coastal waters of all seas up to 12 nautical miles from the mainland coast and can only be obtained by individuals who already hold a Sport Boat License for Coastal Shipping Routes.

Most charter companies now require the SKS as proof of qualification to operate a sailing yacht. For motor yachts, the SBF See is usually sufficient.

Content and Objectives

This course teaches the exam material through theoretical instruction for the Sport Boat License for Coastal Waters and the Coastal Skipper License.

Participants will become familiar with the necessary knowledge in seamanship, navigation, shipping law, and meteorology, while working on practice tasks in preparation for the exams.

The SBF See course concludes with an official examination in theory and practice.

The SKS course concludes with a theory exam. Practical training and examination are not part of this course. Information regarding this will be provided during the course.

Exam dates will be scheduled in consultation with participants.

Teaching materials will be distributed at the beginning of the course.

Costs

The course fee of 240 euros does not include examination fees or teaching materials:

Additional costs (to be incurred during the course)

For SBF See

For SKS

Examination fees are paid directly to the examination board; further information will be provided during the course. Costs for training trips and practical examinations for SKS are not included in this course.

Target Group and Prerequistes

This course is targeted towards those who want to get radio communication certification.

Content and Objectives

This weekend course teaches the content for the Short Range Certificate, SRC for short, for inland bodies of water, and the UKW-Sprechfunkzeugnis für den Binnenschifffahrtsfunk, UBI.

Particularities

The minimum number of participants is ten people.

Cost

The 100 Euro-fee includes all costs for the training and materials.

The RWTH Aachen University Sports Centre organizes regular sailing cruises that are designed to further educate both beginners and experienced sailors.

• Beginners are provided with a safe learning environment where the basics of sailing—setting and trimming the sail, docking and undocking, and fundamental safety measures—can be practiced hands‑on.

• More experienced sailors prepare for the Sport Coastal Skipper (SKS) certification. During the cruise, the manoeuvres, navigation, trim and rigging techniques, as well as emergency and rescue procedures required for the SKS exam are intensively trained, and participants are examined at the end of the cruise.

The sailing areas are offering, thanks to generally steady winds, shallow waters and well‑connected harbours, optimal conditions for learning and practice trips. Our goal is to transfer theoretical knowledge directly into practice, uphold the highest safety standards, and foster a strong sense of community among all participants—resulting in a practical, safe and motivating sailing education.