The Gstaad Yacht Club is celebrating a remarkable run of international results, with standout performances from both its Olympic campaign and youth sailing programme.
Joshua Richner and Nilo Schärer (Gstaad Yacht Club / Thunersee-Yachtclub) reached a major milestone by winning the 49er class at Kiel Week 2026. The victory is not only the Swiss duo's first Sailing Grand Slam title but also the biggest international success of their partnership to date.

Widely regarded as one of the world's premier sailing regattas, Kiel Week attracts around 4,000 sailors from more than 60 nations. This year's 49er fleet featured approximately 95 teams, including Olympic medallists, world champions and nine of the world's top ten crews, making the event a key test ahead of the European Championships.

The competition was made even tougher by World Sailing's new format. After four days of qualifying, only the top ten teams advanced to the Final Series, where points were partially reset, leaving little room for error.

Richner and Schärer rose to the challenge with impressive consistency. Regularly among the front-runners throughout the week, they sailed a disciplined regatta, avoiding costly mistakes while delivering under pressure. As the International 49er Class Association summed it up: "Never flashy, but never wrong."

The win crowns a season of steady progress and confirms their arrival among the sport's leading crews, earning both their first Sailing Grand Slam victory and first podium finish at this level.

According to Swiss Sailing, Richner and Schärer are also the first Swiss team ever to win an Olympic sailing class at Kiel Week. They now turn their attention to the 49er and Nacra 17 European Championships in Eckernförde from 7–12 July as they continue their campaign towards qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The Club's next generation has also enjoyed an exceptional season. Lou Eisenhut represented Switzerland at the Optimist World Championship in Tangier, where nearly 300 sailors from more than 70 countries competed in one of the strongest fleets in the history of the class.

Qualifying for the World Championship is a significant achievement in itself and reflected Lou's consistently strong performances throughout the 2026 season. Although she narrowly missed the Gold Fleet, she demonstrated outstanding boat speed during both racing and training, matching many of the world's leading young sailors.

Switzerland enjoyed an excellent championship overall, with Elliot Novara winning the silver medal, while Lou Eisenhut, Tim Baile, Adrian Kohler and Dimitri Wälchli all contributed to a strong team performance.

The championship concluded an outstanding season for Lou. Following months of international competition and several podium finishes, she ended the year as Switzerland's highest-ranked female Optimist sailor and third overall in the national rankings behind Tim Baile and Elliot Novara. She also won the final Swiss Ranking Regatta in Neuchâtel.

After the summer break, Lou will begin her studies at the Sports Gymnasium in Interlaken, combining her academic education with elite sport.

From young sailors gaining experience on the world stage to Olympic hopefuls competing against the very best, the recent results underline the strength of the Gstaad Yacht Club's athlete development programme and its growing presence in international sailing.