There’s no place like home

So now it was here, the big event that every competitive athlete hopes for in their career: the world championship in their own country! The Black Star Sailing Team had it even better, with the 44Cup 2024 World Championship Brunnen taking place literally on their doorstep.

For us, it was less about taking profits from our home field advantage in the most important competition of the season and more about showing the other teams in the RC44 racing circuit and the sailing-loving world the beauty of Lake Lucerne and the qualities of Switzerland as a sailing nation.

The preparations were extensive and we were understandably very nervous at the start of the event.

44Cup 2024 World Championship Brunnen

21–25 August 2024, Brunnen, Switzerland

Nestled between mountain ranges at the end of a valley that begins at the foot of the Gotthard massif in the south and runs almost geometrically north, the Lake of Uri is known for its constant, often spectacular wind conditions. Therefore, the Black Star Sailing Team has been a regular visitor there for many years. Whether it’s for intensive training on the GC32 catamaran, which laid the foundation for the GC32 world championship title in 2022, or in earlier years at international regattas on various yachts and dinghies. The knowledge of the excellent conditions with constant wind and flat water also prompted us to launch a regatta for the 44Cup association on Lake of Uri.

World class in Brunnen

The organisation in the village around Auslandschweizerplatz and Föhnhafen provided a wonderful opportunity to introduce the RC44 class to the general public. Most of the interested spectators are not unfamiliar with regatta sailing, but with the 44Cup, boats and teams were suddenly guests that had never been seen before in Brunnen. From the first day on, when the containers and yachts were delivered on low-loaders, onlookers came to watch the teams setting up and getting organised. Day after day, the crowds of interested people were large, which pleased us very much, as our idea of making sailing more accessible to the public proved to be the right one.

Curiosity and amazement during the preparations finally led to a small festival during the competition days: whether rounding the windward mark, crossing the finish line or entering and leaving the harbour, the applause, shouting and cheering, and the waving of the Swiss flag made this world championship a unique and unforgettable experience for everyone. All of us, the local organisers, the visitors and fans, and also the Black Star Sailing Team, presented Switzerland as a sailing mecca at its best to the visiting athletes and the 44Cup Association. We can be justifiably proud of this!

The competition

Although the weather forecasts for the regatta week did not predict the hoped-for ‘normal’ summer thermals, more races have been completed at no other event in the 44Cup series to date: many of the starts were made in difficult conditions, but the schedule was always adhered to. The challenging conditions, especially on Saturday evening for the ‘foehn regatta’, were ultimately the same for all participants.

The high level of the 44Cup series was once again demonstrated at this world championship. As the host team, Black Star Sailing was not often able to take benefit from its home advantage, as the other teams were also able to quickly read and interpret the special weather and wind situations on Lake Uri. As a result, the regattas were always close and exciting from the first to the last race. The usual close manoeuvres, changing leadership positions and the small gaps in the ranking pushed all teams to the limit. Eight of the nine teams won at least one of the races.

But for us, it was an incredible feeling to win the last race of the first day with a comfortable lead. The panoramic view before the finish line – which was granted to us by our tactician – was pretty cool… It was the first time ever that Black Star Sailing was able to end a day of competition in the 44Cup as the winner.

The question of who would win the world championship remained unanswered until the last day, indeed until the last race. Before the last race, there were still three teams in the running for the world championship title and a total of five teams with a chance of a podium finish. And we were one of them!

In the end, Team Nika triumphed, the team that sailed most consistently over the entire 2024 season. Team Ceeref Vaider is the well-deserved winner of the silver medal.

We are absolutely happy and proud that we were able to stand on the podium at home with third place. This result is a great success for us and an impressive response to the painful setback at the 44Cup Marstrand. Of course, we are a little annoyed about the two points that separate us from the title. But at the same time, we have the certainty that our time will come.

At this point, we would like to thank our sponsors and partners, some of whom have been with us for years. But above all, we would like to thank the organising committee of the 44Cup Brunnen, the sponsors and partners of the World Championship and all our families and fans, some of whom loudly supported us and gave us all an unforgettable experience. THANK YOU!

In addition to the usual photo galleries in our picture gallery, there was also some press coverage of the World Cup in Brunnen. A collection of this, together with social media and movie material, can be found on our website, on Instagram and on YouTube.

Further content links can be found on our homepage.

Off to the Caribbean

Our next and final stop on the 44Cup regatta calendar in 2024 sounds almost like a holiday: Nanny Cay on the Caribbean island of British Virgin Island. While normal life has long since returned to Brunnen, the yachts and equipment containers in Genoa have been loaded onto a cargo ship and will soon be on site to be unloaded and set up again.

The 44Cup Nanny Cay 2024 will end this season and the 44Cup Nanny Cay 2025 will start the next year at the same location in February.

At the moment we are in sixth place in the annual ranking with 13 points. At the same time, we are only two points away from the podium. All teams are so close together in their total points that a lot is still possible. So we also have a real chance of making it onto the podium in the overall ranking.

As always, we will do our best. Keep your fingers crossed for us. We will keep you up to date…