World Sailing Championships in Brunnen – a crazy idea or an opportunity?

A sailing world championship will take place in Brunnen from 21 to 25 August. Christian Zuerrer from the organising committee dispels preconceptions about sailing.

Interview: Ramona Schelbert and Thomas Bucheli

Why hold an elite sailing world championship on Lake Uri of all places?

For me, Lake Uri offers the best wind conditions in Switzerland. With the well-known thermals on Lake Uri, the race can start at midday. If the weather is bad, you can use the westerly winds on the Gersau basin and therefore have a reliable chance of organising a race. In addition, the lake offers more challenging wind conditions than the sea, where the wind shifts constantly in one direction throughout the day. The gusts of wind from the individual valleys and wind shifts promise spectacular changes of position.

Isn’t it a crazy idea to organise a ‘marginal sports world championship’ on the tranquil Lake of Uri?

Switzerland became big and famous thanks to people with their crazy ideas: the Gotthard tunnel, the zip fastener, Velcro, chocolate bars and, of course, the Swiss army knife. Switzerland has been a sailing nation ever since Alinghi won the America’s Cup, the oldest sporting trophy in the world. With the infrastructure around the Swiss Abroad Square, the Brunnen venue is the perfect place for the population to take part in this unique event.

But the spectators are not on the lake themselves. How exciting is a race from afar?

We will place a screen on the Auslandschweizerplatz where the races can be followed live. As things stand today, there will be no live images as the costs for this are very high. However, each yacht will have a transmitter on board that sends the position live to a tracking system. This means you can still watch the races live and see which team is in the lead. An expert on site will provide commentary.

A kind of sailing lesson at an international competition. Is that why such a big event is needed?

Yes, exactly, but we are also interested in publicising the event for the region. With this world championship, we are bringing people here who have never been to Switzerland but have always wanted to come. We are convinced that we will leave a lasting impression on visitors and locals alike.

What do you say to prejudices such as: sailing is expensive and elitist, you can’t have a sailing career in Switzerland, you have to own your own boat to sail?

Due to the shortage of boat spaces, it is not possible for everyone to own their own boat. There are boat-sharing programmes on all Swiss lakes (i.e. sailing boats to share, editor’s note), which should enable as many people as possible to get around on the water using wind power. Practically every municipality has a football club, to which the infrastructure is provided and maintained partly at municipal expense. If boat harbours, launching ramps and infrastructure were made available to the same extent, including through taxpayers’ money, not only would the space problem be reduced, but fixed costs such as rent would also be lower. Sailing is also a team sport.

How many sailors are there in Switzerland?

There are around 28,000 sailors in Switzerland who are active members of a club. All wind water sports clubs are organised under the umbrella organisation Swiss Sailing. The larger lakes in Switzerland are ideal for taking a holiday on a sailing boat or motorboat and exploring the shores. Professionalism in sailing has only become established in Switzerland in recent years. But expenses allowances or even wages are increasingly being paid in popular sports too.

Why is sailing a fringe sport?

I think there are many reasons why sailing is a fringe sport. On the one hand, certainly because of the space available in the harbours and because the sports equipment is more complex than a hockey stick or a ball. The effort involved is many times greater, as the boat has to be prepared before you can leave the harbour. Ultimately, however, it’s great that we have such a wide variety of sporting opportunities in Switzerland.

Sailing equals Alinghi. But what many people don’t realise: Christian Zuerrer, you are already a world champion yourself.

Alinghi’s victory in the America’s Cup has certainly catapulted sailing into the consciousness of the Swiss population.Unfortunately, the media only focuses on Alinghi, although there are many successful sailors and sailing teams in Switzerland. Winning our world championship title with the ‘Black Star Sailing Team’ in Portugal in 2022 on the GC32 catamaran was not even worth a marginal note in the local media in many places. But that’s not what we’re about. We don’t try to win competitions for the media, but to develop ourselves as individuals and as a team and also to advance the sport in Switzerland.