Yacht-Club Spiez
Yacht-Club Spiez (YCSp) is a water sports club on Lake Thun in Spiez Bay and has promoted sailing, racing and camaraderie since its founding in 1964. The clubhouse «la vela» sits directly on the water and, together with a crane, the club J/70 and six Optimist dinghies, forms the core infrastructure. The club organises TBSV and Swiss Sailing League regattas, offers a staged junior programme with taster sessions and Friday training, and ranks among Switzerland's sporting elite. A hallmark is its long regatta tradition on Lake Thun and the success of youth and league teams up to the Swiss Sailing Super League.
History
Yacht-Club Spiez was founded on 23 May 1964 at Hotel Krone in Spiez. Its purpose was to promote sailing and motorboating, cruising and racing, and camaraderie. The first regatta was held on 30 August 1964; the club had about 50 members. In 1967 the start/finish area moved in front of the Faulensee fish farm and the first day-and-night race was held. From 1970 Jakob Itten's yacht Whiskytime served as committee boat and was gifted to the club in 1971; the same year saw the first Swiss championship of the Kielzugvogel class. In 1974 the club celebrated ten years with around 205 members. Major events followed, including the 1975 Moth European Championship, the 1977 Lightning World Championship and further Tempest and Trias championships. In 1994 YCSp helped set the Guinness world record Thunersee with 365 boats. After the fatal accident at the 1996 day-and-night race, that cult event was later discontinued. In 1998 the definitive clubhouse opened at the lakeside baths with a crane. At the 40th anniversary in 2004 and the 50th in 2014 the club counted about 200 active and junior members. Since the 2010s junior successes (including 420 junior world champions, Optimist and ILCA results) and the Swiss Sailing League have shaped the sporting profile; in 2022 the league team rose to the Super League. In 2023 Spiez hosted the first Swiss Sailing League Heidi Cup; in 2024 the club celebrated 60 years YCSp and staged the J/70 Swiss championship.
Information
Youth section
Active junior programme with taster afternoons, Opti basic course with Segelschule Thunersee and Friday training, plus the vision of a J/70 youth team; registration via junioren@ycsp.ch.