Yacht Club Bielersee
Yacht Club Bielersee (YCB) is the official sailing club on Lake Biel, with clubhouse and harbour at Wingreis near Twann and the dinghy centre Rusel. Members and guests find moorings, a rentable clubhouse with kitchen, bar and fireplaces, and active fleets for dinghies and yachts. The club runs youth programmes with an Optimist team and juniors, a J/70 training pool for the Swiss Sailing League, and traditional MARE evening races plus the Lake Biel championship. Founded in 1942 in Twann, YCB has shaped sailing on the Three Lakes region for decades with regattas, youth development and club life on Strandweg.
History
Yacht Club Bielersee (YCB) was founded on 27 June 1942 at Hotel Bären in Twann. From the start, Twann with the hamlet of Wingreis and Strandhotel Engelberg was the preferred base; races also started from Vingelz, La Neuveville, Le Landeron and later Barkenhafen and Ipsach harbour. The Wöschhüsli in Vingelz served the Vaurien fleet as the „Boje“, Rusel east of Alfermée became the dinghy base, and in 1978 a holiday cottage was acquired under building lease at the new Wingreis harbour and later converted into today's clubhouse. Early decades featured Pirates, Lightning, O-dinghy, H-dinghy, dinghy cruisers, Dragons and Stars, later Vaurien, Corsair, Flying Dutchman, Finn, 420 and Laser; Aphrodite 101 and Dolphin 81 are named among later classes. In 1967 sailors from La Neuveville requested a YCB commission that led to Bordée de Tribord; both clubs still cooperate especially in youth work. For the 50th anniversary in 1992 René Wehrlin documented club history; in 2002 YCB celebrated 60 years with the Swiss Sailing Cup at Expo.02. In 2022 the club marked its 80th anniversary. In July 2021 a century flood hit Lake Biel and the Wingreis clubhouse; members kept the building dry with pumps and duty shifts.
Information
Facilities
Wingreis clubhouse (Strandweg 67, Twann) with kitchen, bar, two fireplaces, projector and Wi-Fi for about 30 indoors and outdoors; Wingreis harbour; Rusel dinghy centre; wind and weather station at Wingreis harbour.
Activities
Racing (Lake Biel championship, MARE dinghies and MARE Yacht Cup, Banana Cup, Red Eye, OptiCup/C3L), J/70 Swiss Sailing League and training pool, youth training, children's sailing school, club events (pasta bar, beach apéro, open clubhouse).
Youth section
Active youth section with Optimist team (ages 7–15) and junior team (approx. 15–20, Laser/ILCA and 29er); weekly training, races on the Jura lakes and across Switzerland; entry via YCB children's sailing school and Open Skiff taster courses.