The RC44 World Championship was a success in every sense of the word, with plenty of wind, enthusiastic crowds and thrilling racing. After four days of racing, the Swiss Black Star team, led by Christian Zürrer, won the bronze medal.
Photos: Walter Rudin & Nico Martinez
When five-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts brought his high-performance racing boat to Lugano in 2007 as part of his European tour, he probably didn’t imagine that the RC44 (after its initials) would be back two decades later, competing for its world championship in landlocked Switzerland. Christian Zürrer is responsible for bringing the America’s Cup-inspired boats back to Switzerland. After two seasons on the circuit with his Black Star team, he succeeded in convincing the series’ directors of the advantages of the lake in central Switzerland. “Lake Uri is the most beautiful lake in Switzerland. And if the thermal wind isn’t there, we can always fall back on the Gersau basin, off Brunnen, to take advantage of the westerly wind,” points out Zürrer, who makes no secret of his enthusiasm. Another advantage is that the public can follow the regattas at close quarters. “My aim is to make this magnificent sport accessible to as many people as possible,” he adds.
Where’s the next generation?
Promoting the next generation of sailors is a priority for Christian Zürrer, but he faces a major difficulty: “In Switzerland, it’s not easy to find ambitious young sailors who are prepared to make sacrifices. You need tenacity and perseverance, even during the week”, he stresses. He would have liked to integrate young hopefuls into his team, but this season his crew is made up of seasoned sailors, most of them international. Among them are Kilian Wagen and Grégoire Siegwart, who put in a fine Olympic preparation together in the 470.
A mixed season for Black Star
After three events on the RC44 circuit this year, Black Star’s results are mixed. During the last leg in Sweden, the team even had a scare. While lowering the mainsail, the boat hit an unmarked rock at considerable speed. Injured, the grinder had to be hospitalized. Despite this blow, the team was ready for the home World Championships. According to Zürrer, this incident was not easy to digest, but it brought the team together.
Between thermics, foehn and bise
The organizers have pulled out all the stops to welcome the nine 2024 World Championship teams to Brunnen. They even went so far as to build a harbour with floating pontoons for the occasion next to the Föhnhafen. Once the harbor was in place, it took almost another week to unload the containers, assemble the boats and install the infrastructure on the main square. The sailors were welcomed in style, with much folklore and in the presence of a number of VIPs. The race committee launched eleven races over the four days of the championship. Lake Uri offered a full range of wind conditions at the end of August: a steady thermal wind from Wednesday to Saturday, foehn on Saturday evening, and breezy conditions on Sunday after the passage of a front. For most of the teams used to sailing at sea, these lake conditions were a real challenge. Vladimir Prosikhin, skipper of Nika and leader of this year’s RC44 ranking, was right: “It’s going to be complicated and unpredictable. There’s no contest: the lake is not the sea. This will be a championship for tacticians, not helmsmen.”
In a handkerchief
The RC44 World Championship lived up to its promise, with suspense from start to finish. The title came down to the final seconds. In an extremely homogenous fleet, eight of the nine teams won at least one race. It was therefore necessary to wait until the last race to crown the champion. Before that, the Monegasque crew on Nika and the Slovenians on Ceeref Vader were tied on points for the lead. In a fierce match-race duel, Prosikhin and his crew on Nika came out on top, winning their third world title. Black Star got off to a flying start in front of its home crowd. After winning one heat, the Swiss were in first place at the end of the first day. Things then went a little wrong. A completely botched start in the fifth heat sent them tumbling down the rankings. A small consolation, however: a duel with the French on Aleeph in the final heat enabled them to climb back up the rankings and claim the bronze medal.
Beaming faces
For Christian Zürrer, this third place is a real success after a season of ups and downs: “We’re happy to have finished in 3rd place, but also proud to have proved that it’s possible to organize top-level international regattas in Switzerland.” At the closing ceremony, officials, racers and the public were all smiles. “The venue is incredible and the atmosphere with all the spectators was great,” exclaimed Vladimir Prosikhin. Swiss team member Grégoire Siegwart was equally delighted: “We don’t have many world sailing championships in Switzerland. This is one of the biggest events ever held on our lakes. It was great to welcome these boats and these great sailors here. Switzerland has a reputation for lacking wind, but we proved the opposite.”