(live here) – 28 young sailors from the Haifa Sailing Club competed in the Israel Youth Sailing Championship and proved that the vision of educating for excellence through wind and waves works. Now, all eyes are on the upcoming Israel Cup competition in Haifa and the club's surfers, who are leading the way for the Israeli national team.
There are places where champions are raised. Not just those who stand on the podium, but also champions of values, of path, of perseverance and determination. The Haifa Sailing Club is exactly one of them.
Last week, 28 sailors aged 9 to 14 from the club participated in the Israel Sailing Championship in memory of the late Assaf Assulin – a three-day competition held in Tel Aviv, in which they competed against clubs from all over the country – Acre, Eilat, Sdot Yam, Tel Aviv and more. This is the first stage on the way to assembling an Israeli team that will represent the country at the world championships – and the sailors have an excellent chance.
Achievements you don't see every day
Sailor Eva Steinberg conquered hearts and the sea – Israeli Champion 2025 in the International Optimist model, first place in the girls' category and 11th overall out of 89 sailors. Alongside her – Arseniy Barios who won third place, Yaron Steinberg in the top ten, Eitan Seltzer in 12th place – all prominent candidates for the Israeli team.
Achievements were also recorded in other models: Gil Seltzer – first place in the Cadets. Eli Markovski – 4th place in the Cadets. Lev and Dov Kaznin – high positions in infrastructure and green. In the 420 model: Eitan Mor and Leon Trespov – second place. And in the 29er model – a spectacular Haifa podium trio with Ofek Reshef and Vladimir Shefring (first place), Segev Negri and Omri Yahya (second), Michael Markovski and Adam Farber (third).
And the journey is just beginning. On Wednesday, April 9, 4, the National Surfing Championship will open in Tel Aviv – and Haifa is also starring here: Peleg Radwan, the Israeli Youth Champion, is currently leading the tests for the Israeli national team, along with Naama Platnik, Noa Radwan, Ayalon Atlas and Nir Mekel – five strong surfers who are at the top.
But the highlight is yet to come – on April 22, the Israel Cup competition will be held in Haifa, hosting sailors from all over the country. Alongside the achievements, the city will also host a national training camp, and the public is invited to come, cheer – and maybe even fall in love.
The director of the Haifa Sailing Club, Arnon Dagan, tells a story in a conversation with Haifa:
"Haifa is an ideal place for sailing and surfing - thanks to the topographic structure of the mountain, the sea and the underwater reef - perfect sea conditions. But beyond that, we see sailing and surfing as a first-rate educational tool. It is a world that instills values of self-discipline, perseverance, teamwork, connection to nature - and pure enjoyment."
Opening the door to the next generation at the Haifa Sailing Club, we operate with a vision to expand exposure to sailing and surfing to all youth in the city and region.
"We invite everyone to come, to experience, to fall in love. It's not just a sport – it's a way of life."
