After weeks at sea on the record-breaking Round Britain Island challenge, Jazz Turner was ready to get back into an RS Venture Connect. Travemünde gave her exactly that.
Sailing alongside Justen Bersin from Grenada, Turner found fleet racing a very different proposition to offshore, but, as she put it, "just as rewarding to be back on the racecourse and surrounded by the Para Inclusive Sailing community."
It wasn't straightforward. Difficult conditions tested the fleet, communication proved challenging at times, and patience was required from sailors, officials and organisers alike.
But that's not what stayed with her.
"What I'll remember is the people," Turner said. Sailors helping each other ashore, volunteers going the extra mile, race officials adapting to the conditions, organisers who genuinely wanted to listen. The boat park had that particular hum it gets when a community actually likes each other. "There was a real sense that everyone was pulling in the same direction, and that made a huge difference."
Turner is clear-eyed about what Para Inclusive sailing does well. Each event is as much about learning as racing, whether that means improving accessibility, refining communication, or making the venue easier for the next sailor who arrives. "We don't just race; we learn."
Travemünde wasn't perfect, and Turner isn't pretending otherwise. What mattered, in her view, was the willingness to keep improving. She left believing everyone involved wanted the next event to be better. "That's exactly the culture our sport needs."
The RS Venture Connect fleet is gaining ground. More nations are joining the class, new sailors are stepping onto the international stage, and the standard of racing is rising. "Looking around the boat park, it really felt like our community is building something special."
For Turner personally, the return to fleet racing carried its own weight. After so long offshore, often with only the sea for company, being back among friends and sharing stories after racing was something she'd genuinely missed.
The World Sailing Inclusion Championships in Portugal are not far off, and the mood inside the class is shifting. "Every event, every sailor and every lesson learned is helping shape the future of Para Inclusive sailing," Turner said. She's not waiting around for it.
