Regatta Club Bodensee win Swiss J/70 Sailing League Finale
by J/Boats 6 Oct 2021 13:27 BST
Swiss J/70 Sailing League Finale at Bielersee YC © Swiss Sailing League
The Swiss J/70 Sailing League grand showdown finally took place in Biel, Switzerland. After a few false starts earlier in the season due to rapidly changing pandemic issue, the hundreds of Swiss J/70 sailors finally had an opportunity to see everyone one again from across the picturesque Alpine nation.
The organizers of the event, Bielersee Yacht Club- welcomed a dozen clubs from across nearly every canton in Switzerland.
The big question on every team's mind was, "if we can win the Swiss championship in 2021, will we be relegated down to the Challenge League or will we secure our place in the Super League?"
The final day Sunday made for a fitting finale. With very shifty winds sometimes gusting to 20 knots, it proved to be challenging conditions as teams had to constantly switch going from soak mode to planing mode and back again.
Mastering the difficult conditions was the Regattaclub Bodensee (RCB) with Julian Flessati, Stephan Amrnann, Lea Rüegg and Jonathan Rutishauser, crowned as the 2021 Swiss J/70 Super Sailing League champions.
Other crews from the "Bielersee" area also sailed very well. In particular, the Bordée de Tribord La Neuveville sailing club with skipper David Biedermann. His mixed men/women team sailed brilliantly and were rewarded with 2nd place in the Biel event. They are runner-up overall in the Super League series for 2021.
Despite some retirements, the Thunersee Yachtclub team managed to take third place with skipper Yves Mermod.
The defending champion Seglervereinigung Kreuzlingen with skipper Tom Rüegge failed to match the performance of the past two years and, nonetheless, reached 4th place overall.
Despite good performances, the teams of the Yacht Club Lucerne, the Club Nautique de Pully and the Aircher Segel Club are relegated to the Challenge League for the 2022 sailing season. The relief of various clubs, such as the Bielersee Yacht Club, Regattaclub Oberhofen or the Club Nautique de Versoix, to remain in the Super League could be seen among many sailors.
The Swiss Sailing League Association hopes that a full program can be sailed again in 2022. The events will take place in Lucerne, Kreuzlingen, Neuchâtel and Versoix (final).
More information here...