September 1, 2026
2 minutes reading time
Special sailing at the Nordic RS Venture Sail Camp
Dozens of sailors from Oslo, Hamar, Kristiansand, Fredrikstad and Tallinn, Estonia, were welcomed to the RS Venture Sail Camp held at Ulabrand Sail Centre in Norway. Over the weekend, new skills and boat handling were achieved with great enthusiasm.
“I have one good upwind mark taking and one perfect gennaker gybe as a salto of this weekend to take with me, I would definitely like to partake inclusion and para sail events in the nearest future to improve and learn to know other sailors better,” Kylli Haav from Estonian Special sailors, decided.
The participants arrived with different backgrounds and varying levels of experience, but they shared the same unmistakable joy when the sails filled, and the boats began to accelerate across the water. Estonian Special Sailors with Kylli Haav enjoyed the scenic landscape, busy communication and manoeuvres at the water and savory after sail.
The coaching team included two Norwegian national-team sailors, Stian and Elliot, who shared their experience and knowledge with the participants alongside head coach Thomas Nilsson. It adds a special dimension when the people coaching you know the boats, the conditions, and the setting from personal experience and they put it on the table.
The first day offered excellent wind, fantastic participants, and a team that gave everything. That is exactly how it should be. Trickier wind on the second day saw participants trying kennakers and gybes – which even the first-time sailors achieved. Mastering gybes was also conducted within the rocky landscape of a narrowing fjord.
By the end of the second day, both the gennaker work and the gybes were looking beautiful. The Norwegian training camp also confirmed an old Viking wisdom: if you want to reach your goal quickly, listen to your elders.
“Exchanging the experience 1882 counts for Nordic and North Baltic frameworks, opens new perspectives,” confirmed Mrs Merle Kuusk, advisor of Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) that supported participation.
“Disabled, special needs people and inclusion have always been a field of work for NCM. North Baltic cooperation and sharing of information opens up new possibilities. Sailing is a practical form in which we can support the non-governmental networks”, she cheered.