Hochschul-Segelclub Freiburg e.V.
The Hochschul-Segelclub Freiburg e.V. (HSCF) was founded in June 1989 and today has more than 400 members. The non-profit club is open to all sailing enthusiasts and combines thorough yacht training with active dinghy sailing on Lake Schluchsee in the Southern Black Forest, about 50 kilometres from Freiburg. At the sailing area in Aha, the HSCF operates club dinghies such as Laser Bahia, Laser Vago and Laser boats, 27 land mooring spaces and a cooperation base at NaturCamp with equipment storage and infrastructure. Key activities include SKS training cruises in various sailing areas, monthly dinghy briefings, four Schluchsee weekends per year, Laser training on Lake Como and a youth section established in 1998 in cooperation with Segelverein Schluchsee. The club has repeatedly been awarded by the German Sailing Association for exemplary yacht training and also offers navigation equipment rental, radio courses and specialist courses such as astro navigation.
History
In the 1987/88 winter semester, BR theory courses and training cruises were offered at the Freiburg sports institute as part of general university sports. The courses were so popular that members wanted to found a university sailing club. On the initiative of Klaus-Jürgen Müller and seven other founding members, the Hochschul-Segelclub Freiburg e.V. was founded on 22 June 1989. Today the HSCF is open to anyone bitten by the sailing bug; theoretical and practical yacht training remains a central focus. Membership grew rapidly: within one year the club reached 100 members, 356 in 1994, around 250 in following years, 370 in 2010, and in 2019 the club exceeded 400 members for the first time. Claudia Fiedler has managed the office since 2001, handling administration, bookkeeping and training coordination. The dinghy department was founded in 1990; purchasing two Ponants laid the foundation for dinghy sailing on nearby Lake Schluchsee. Regatta participation and youth training cooperation created a close relationship with Segelverein Schluchsee SVS in Aha. For more than thirty years a club magazine has informed members; initially as Absegler, from 1997 four times a year as Wellenbrecher, from 2014 supplemented by the monthly Wellenbrecher kompakt newsletter, and since 2017 also the printed Jahreschronik yearbook. The HSCF has been online since September 1995; since 2023 online registration is available for training courses, cruises and dinghy reservations. The youth department was founded in 1998 and trains in cooperation with SVS on several weekends and offers annual Opti weeks. The planned purchase of the yacht Frl. Mayer failed in 2004/2005 due to structural damage; after lengthy legal proceedings the boat was sold, and debt-free status was announced at the 20th anniversary in 2009. Laser training on Lake Como has taken place at least once a year since 2010. A 2013/2014 cooperation agreement with SVS intensified mooring and infrastructure use at Seglerhof. From the 2016 season the dinghy department has had 27 land mooring spaces at Muchenländer Gelände on Lake Schluchsee. In 2017 the HSCF signed a cooperation agreement with NaturCamp in Aha and moved the equipment locker there; Schluchsee weekends are held four times a year. The 25th anniversary in 2014 and 30th in 2019 were celebrated at NaturCamp. Further club activities include the annual Polyvalk sailing trip in Friesland and former winter sports and fitness offers in the off-season.
Information
Facilities
Office at Schloßbergring in Freiburg, equipment rental and library at Walter-Gropius-Straße, club dinghies on Lake Schluchsee in Aha with 27 land mooring spaces at Muchenländer Gelände, dinghy equipment locker at NaturCamp with sail accessories, life jackets, trapeze gear and picnic equipment, cooperative use of NaturCamp infrastructure, and rental of navigation and safety equipment for members.
Activities
Yacht sailing with club and private cruises and SKS training trips, dinghy sailing and dinghy briefings on Lake Schluchsee, Schluchsee weekends, Laser training on Lake Como, Polyvalk sailing trips, regatta participation, youth sailing and Opti cruises, sailing and radio courses, harbour manoeuvre training on a VR simulator, monthly sailors' meeting, and DSV awards for exemplary yacht training.
Youth section
Since 1998 the HSCF has had its own youth department. Training takes place in close cooperation with Segelverein Schluchsee SVS in Aha; under Segeljugend Schluchsee, training is held on several weekends and annual youth and Opti weeks are offered. The club also offers youth cruises such as the Opti cruise during autumn holidays.