Skip to content
Menu

Black Star Sailing campaigns

Founded in 2019 by Christian Zuerrer, Black Star Sailing has set itself the goal of competing successfully in international regattas and also becoming a platform for ambitious young sailors. Setups, profiles and methods are continuously optimised to meet the sometimes differing requirements. From 2025, the Black Star Sailing Team will compete in the RC44 and the Cape 31 class at the same time.

As a longtime catamaran enthusiast, Christian Zuerrer was successful with Black Star Sailing on a GC32 Foiling catamaran until the end of 2023 and is still the reigning world champion in this boat class.

BSST_CAMPAIGN-HEADER_44CUP

Black Star Sailing RC44 campaign

Pushing performance limits with precision and team work

44Cup_23_Startscreen

Black Star Sailing has been sailing in the RC44 class since 2022, competing in the 44Cup against teams that are considered among the best in the world. For the internationally composed Black Star Sailing RC44 Team, sporting success is therefore the top priority. The integration of female regatta athletes and young sailors is also a high priority in this demanding class. The RC44 yacht, designed by Russell Coutts, is known for its speed and versatility. It not only performs impressively on ideal courses, but also remains highly controllable in strong winds and difficult conditions.

The 44Cup, the official racing series of the RC44 class, consists of at least five regattas per year. These are held at exclusive venues such as the Solent in the UK, Lake Garda in Italy, the Croatian Adriatic coast or Lanzarote. The racing series attracts world-famous sailors, including Olympic champions and America’s Cup legends. The regattas are known for their exciting manoeuvres, tactical finesse and remarkable level of skill, which promises world-class sailing.

The World Championship, the absolute highlight of a 44Cup season, is therefore an event that hardly any team in the field wants to miss. It takes place at different locations and offers a perfect stage to experience the fascination of the RC44 class and regattas up close.

You can find more information about 44Cup events and the current tour dates on our website at EVENTS.
Updates, insights and results from Black Star Sailing are available in our NEWS.
Further information about the RC44 racing series can be found on the official website 44cup.org.
BSST_CAMPAIGN-HEADER_C31

Black Star Sailing Cape 31 campaign

Elite team dedicated to nurturing and developing young talents

default

From 2025, Black Star Sailing will officially start in the Cape 31 class and compete in the Cape 31 Med Circuit racing series. With around six regattas in southern European waters, such as the Côte d’Azur, the Italian Riviera or the Balearic Islands, the series is one of the more exciting ones in the Black Star’s international regatta calendar.

The Cape 31 class is characterised by a balanced set of rules that not only creates equal opportunities through strict one-design specifications, but also limits the number of professional sailors per crew. A maximum of three of the six to eight crew members may be ISAF-certified professionals, ensuring that teams with different backgrounds and budgets remain competitive. In contrast to the RC44 class, Cape 31 does not limit the number of training days, which is why this class also allows training without an explicit competitive focus.

This unique combination of accessibility and fairness, coupled with astonishing performance, makes the Cape 31 class perfect for Black Star Sailing’s goals. It offers an ideal environment for teaching young sailors the ropes of regattas, gaining valuable experience and proving themselves in international competition. The Black Star Sailing Team’s commitment to the Cape 31 class is helping to shape the next generation of regatta sailors.

More information about the circuit dates and the individual events can be found on our website at EVENTS.

Updates, insights and results from Black Star Sailing you can read in our NEWS.

Further information about the Cape 31 Race Series are on the official website cape31class.com.
BSST_CAMPAIGN-HEADER_GC32

Black Star Sailing GC32 campaign

State of the art hydrofoiling catamaran racing team to end 2023

Movie2021_Startscreen

Black Star Sailing has entered the GC32 Racing Tour, the official racing series of the GC32 hydrofoil catamarans, until the end of 2023. These spectacular racing boats, which glide over the water on foils, are considered a milestone in modern sailing technology and can reach speeds of over 30 knots. Their ability to switch to foil mode in light winds makes the GC32 class one of the most exciting in international sailing.

With at least four events a year, the GC32 Racing Tour attracted teams from all over the world to suitable sailing areas and hosted events with thrilling competitions that required not only tactical and technical skills but also physical performance and endurance. Black Star Sailing joined the GC32 Racing Tour in 2019 and quickly established itself as one of the leading teams. The highlight of their campaign was winning the GC32 World Championship in 2022.

But despite its fascinating concept, the GC32 class faced challenges. The complexity of the boats, the high training requirements and the parallel developments in other high-performance classes such as the SailGP led to a decline in the number of participants. As a result, fewer regattas were held from 2022 onwards, jeopardising the future of the racing series.

At the end of 2023, Black Star Sailing withdrew from the GC32 Racing Tour. The reasons for this decision included the increasing overlap in the regatta calendar and the absence of important teams in the field.

The GC32 class remains a defining part of Black Star Sailing’s history, as it not only brought the team sporting success but also valuable experience in one of the most demanding sailing classes. However, by switching to other classes, Black Star Sailing is looking ahead and focusing on regattas that offer a broader spectrum of challenges and development opportunities.

Find out more about the past GC32 Racing Tour dates and all the Black Star Sailing Team’s current regattas on this website under EVENTS.
Updates, insights and results of the Black Star Sailing Team are available in our NEWS section.
Further information about the racing series can be found on the official GC32 Racing Tour website.

GC32 WORLD CHAMPION

The Black Star Sailing Team wins the GC32 World Championship 2022!

The intensive and systematic training has now paid off: With the triumph at the GC32 World Championship from 13 to 17 July 2022 in Lagos, Portugal, the team around skipper Christian Zuerrer has achieved its greatest success in this class to date and is now the fourth GC32 World Champion ever. 

If you want to know more, read our repost from a GC32 web-news article and further news and reports on our NEWS page. 

One-Design: The one-and-only

The one-design concept is one of several approaches in competitive sailing. It defines classes in which all boats are built according to a fixed blueprint and are therefore almost identical, even if they are manufactured by different shipyards. This is in contrast to construction classes, in which the building specifications are more open and thus allow for individual adaptations and innovations.

In one-design classes, hull shape, weight, sails and other technical details are strictly regulated. The class rules are usually formulated in a closed way, meaning that anything not explicitly allowed is prohibited. This minimises technical differences between the boats and focuses on the skills of the crew and the tactics used. By contrast, open class rules allow everything that is not expressly prohibited, which can lead to greater diversity in design and equipment. 

Another advantage of the one-design principle is cost control. Since expensive technical modifications and constant upgrades are not allowed, the expenses for the participants remain manageable. In addition, standardisation promotes equal opportunities, as financial resources have less influence on competitiveness.

Black Star Sailing has consciously decided to focus exclusively on one-design classes such as the RC44, the Cape 31 as well as the GC32. This decision enables the team to compete in world-class regattas without excessive budgets, while also promoting young sailing talent. ‘One-Design’ ensures fair and exciting competition, where the best sailors compete against each other under the same conditions.

Black Star Sailing offers traineeships!

The Black Star Sailing company aims to compete successfully in international sailing regattas while promoting young talent.

In Switzerland in particular, it is difficult to receive training at the international regatta level. Especially for young sailors, there are hardly any opportunities to learn the fairly complex know-how involved in the national and international racing business. Black Star Sailing wants to change this by offering young talents a place on the team and integrating them firmly into the organisation.

The Black Star Sailing team is also committed to the environment, especially to water. Black Star Sailing reduces its waste to a minimum and disposes of it properly. Non-potable tap water is treated wherever necessary by the team’s own filter system. This avoids considerable amounts of plastic waste and saves additional resources that would be needed to produce and transport drinking water.

Founded in 2019, Black Star Sailing is still expanding its partner network. With Cape 31 and RC44, Black Star maintains ambitious campaigns and is grateful for support of any kind.

Are you interested in regattas and don’t want to miss anything about the Black Star Sailing Team? Then subscribe to our newsletter and visit our website regularly.

Are you a young talent in sailing or a related field, such as boat-building, and do you have the ambition to join our racing team? Then we look forward to receiving your CV.

We would also be delighted to hear from you if you are interested in a company or sponsoring partnership.

 

Black Star Sailing in the press

We have been around for a few years now, and in different classes at that, so there is a lot to report – for the press as well. We have collected some of the reports about Black Star Sailing, which you can read here.
A current press release has been prepared for editorial offices and interested parties and is available to download. Images from our galleries can be requested from us (also in print resolution) for journalistic use, stating the source.
WordPress Cookie Notice by Real Cookie Banner