“The proof is in the pudding; when other sailors come up to you asking for a repeat of the last one, you know you’re onto something.”
For RS Venture Connect Class board member Henriette Smith, that simple observation perfectly captures the value of collaboration in para sailing.
As one half of Team Sailing Grace alongside Solfrid Kvinnesland, Henriette has become one of the most respected voices in inclusive sailing. The Norwegian sailor, who claimed the Para World Championship title in the RS Venture Connect in 2023, recently shared her experiences in the latest Para World Sailing newsletter following a joint Swedish-Norwegian training camp in Gothenburg.
The event, hosted by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club and led by renowned Paralympic coach Björn Johansson, brought together sailors from across the region for a weekend focused on improving performance both on and off the water.
While the weather may have been less than ideal, the outcomes were anything but…
Read the full article on Para World Sailing to discover how sailors across Europe are working together to strengthen para sailing and create more opportunities for inclusive competition and development.
Our take at RS? As participation in the RS Venture Connect class continues to grow internationally, stories like Henriette’s demonstrate the positive impact of cooperation in driving both performance and inclusion within the sport. It’s great to see collaborative initiatives like these help strengthen athlete development pathways while building more connection in inclusive sailing communities.
We’re looking forward to catching up with Henriette and teammate Solfrid at the RS Venture Connect Europeans, 18-21 July, at the RS Games 2026 in Travemünder Woche, Germany, alongside the 24 teams (and counting!) that have registered so far. See you there!
