2024, here we come!
Five years have now passed since Black Star Sailing was founded in January 2019. Since we started with the GC32 catamaran in the GC32 Racing Tour, we are already completing our sixth regatta season this year – but only in the RC44 class.
After two seasons in the RC44 and GC32 classes at the same time, Black Star Sailing is withdrawing from the GC32 racing circuit until further notice: Due to various differences and divergent priorities of the remaining teams, there will again be no GC32 Racing Tour in 2024. This was the reason for Black Star Sailing skipper Christian Zuerrer to focus exclusively on the RC44 class in 2024. All the more so since the 44Cup season highlight will take place in Switzerland!
More on that below.
Start of the season in Lanzarote
After the conclusion of the 2023 season in Lanzarote, the 44Cup racing circus returns to Porto Calero for the start of the season. What has proven itself several times in previous seasons at different venues is planned again for this year: The teams’ yachts have been moored in the marina of Arrecife since last November and are now waiting to be refloated for the 44Cup Calero Marina 2024. This simplifies logistics for organizers and teams and saves a lot of resources. Over the next few weeks, our shore team will carry out various work on our yacht and thoroughly check all material before the sailing team arrives at the end of February for the actual regatta.
What’s New in 2024
In addition to the fact that Black Star Sailing said goodbye to the GC32 team at the end of 2023, we can’t avoid making a few changes in the RC44 team for 2024 as well. After we had a change in the position of mainsail trimmer for the regatta in Gibraltar, Will Ryan will continue to take over this function from Flavio Marazzi in the future. Will Ryan is a regatta sailor from Australia who lives in Switzerland and is now almost at home here. He has several world championship titles and is an Olympic champion in the 470 dinghy class. Kilian Wagen will take the position of Anina Fässler as a floater. Kilian Wagen lives in French-speaking Switzerland and has also sailed successfully on the 470 dinghy. He also has a lot of experience with an Olympic campaign and the world championship title in the J70 class.
As at the start of the season last year in Oman, we will also have time in Lanzarote a few days before the competition to train and put together as a team.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Anina Fässler, Flavio Marazzi and Pesche Roesti. Flavio and Pesche have been part of the Black Star Sailing Team from the very beginning, and have actively helped to build up the team.
Season highlight 2024
In the RC44 class, it is a kind of tradition to organize a regatta in your home country as a participating team. When the Black Star Sailing Team applied to the RC44 class to hold a regatta in 2024, it was not foreseeable that the World Championships would come to Switzerland with the first Swiss 44Cup event in a long time: Because for regatta teams, the World Championships are certainly the highlight of a competition season.
Now, however, it is official that the RC44 World Championship 2024 will take place in Brunnen on Lake Uri. What is an honour for the Black Star Sailing Team is also an attraction for the region: Although the class tries to keep the effort around the events within limits, there will certainly be a lot going on in Brunnen and on Lake Uri for a week.
So it’s worth marking the date 21 – 25 August 2024 in red on your calendar.
We are happy and proud to be able to present our team and the RC44 racing circus to our supporters, fans and families in action.
Support and Partners welcome
Once again, we would like to promote ourselves and our cause here. The upcoming season and the event in the summer mean a lot of work – but at the same time an excellent platform to present yourself profitably as a local or regional company.
Sponsors, patrons, volunteers, helpers and interested parties should contact us directly.