Segelclub Murten
Segelclub Murten (SCM) is a traditional sailing club on Lake Murten in Switzerland, with cruising also on neighbouring Lake Neuchâtel. Facilities include a club jetty with mooring field and dry berth, a boathouse and the clubhouse at Ryf 32 with bar, kitchen and dormitory accommodation. Classes include Optimist and Laser (ILCA), with club regattas for yachts and dinghies plus active Pirate and Surprise participation at championships and short-course races. Juniors benefit from weekly Optimist and Laser training, Ascension camps and the JuSeLa youth sailing camp; the club also competes in the Swiss Sailing Challenge League and Youth Cup. Since its founding in 1945, regattas, candidate membership and social events at the jetty have shaped club life.
History
On 27 September 1945 the founding meeting of Segelclub Murten took place with 17 people present; the first end-of-season race followed on 14 October 1945, and by the end of 1945 membership had already risen to 31. In 1947 the club joined the USY (Union of Swiss Yacht Clubs). In 1948 the first club tender „SAMOWAR“, a Newfoundland dory built by Jack Beck Faoug, was acquired. The new club jetty was completed in 1956; in 1963 severe ice destroyed the entire jetty within seconds. A second tender for the mooring field followed in 1967, and in 1969 an agreement with the Canton of Fribourg on size and rent was reached. In 1970 the rescue boat „RAMASSEUR“ was purchased. In 1972 the clubrooms at Ryf 72 opened and a credit for a harbour project was approved; the first SCM yearbook appeared in 1975, and in 1976 the concrete dinghy ramp beside the jetty was built. In 1978 the harbour project was withdrawn after strong neighbourhood opposition. In 1981 the mooring-field boat „DUFFY“ was added. In 1994 the extended clubhouse at Ryf 32 opened. The club hosted the Lightning European Championships in 1997 and 1999, the Tempest Swiss Championship in 2000 and Surprise Swiss Championships in 2009 and 2013; in 2018 the Fireball Swiss Championship followed. In 2005 the multipurpose boat „RAMASSEUR II“ was bought. After roof and façade renovations (2010, 2012, 2016), flooding in July 2021 severely damaged the jetty; it was renovated in 2022.
Information
Facilities
Clubhouse at Ryf 32 with changing rooms, Fürstraum and Lädibar (up to about 80 people), professional kitchen, dormitory with 30 beds; club jetty with mooring field, dry berth, slipway, boathouse and wooden Bänzsteg; club boats including Ramasseur, RIBs, Jackpot plus Laser and Optimist dinghies.
Activities
About eight club regattas per year (including Ansegeln, evening race week, Tour du Lac, MRC, Coupe de Meyriez, Rumfass, Absegeln), Wednesday racing and Laser match racing; junior programme, Swiss Sailing Challenge League and Youth Cup; cruiser-fleet social events and volunteer helper roles.
Youth section
Active junior programme with weekly Optimist and Laser training, Ascension camps for beginners, JuSeLa youth sailing camp and regatta support; aligned with Swiss Sailing cadre structures and SSL Youth Cup participation.
Parking
Parking at regattas (helper duty)