Worn oilskins, a pair of faded jeans, and flip-flops. Yvan Bourgnon looks like a tourist on this Saturday morning on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel. However, the world-famous sailor is currently in the process of wiping out an old gap. Respectively: to return to legality.
“This situation has existed for 30 years and it’s time I put it right,” says the old fur seal with a mischievous smile. The man has chased records and experienced adventures on all seas in the world. But now he wants to overcome a hurdle that is within easy reach of every freshwater sailor: the Swiss sailing license.
Buffetted for one night
His practical test becomes a walk. “I think it went well,” he said confidently on his return to the port of Le Nid-du-Crô. “You can write in your article that Yvan Bourgnon passed the exam with flying colors,” says the expert Laurent Lambelet amid general laughter.
The sailing professional, who was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, was not as imperturbable as he was on the water at home in front of his computer two days earlier. “I wasn’t very good at the theory test,” he admits.
“I studied all night long, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., like a fool, all alone at home. When I got to my appointment that morning, I could barely see straight ahead. I was completely stressed out and sure that I was going to fail. 45 exhausting minutes and ten mistakes later, the examinee Bourgnon passed his test, but without distinction. But passed is passed, he can now sail across the country’s lakes without having to worry about getting caught.
Back home
The sea fan has only “come to appreciate the lake over the years”. A few years ago, the globetrotter settled in Saint-Blaise NE and returned to his roots. “If I didn’t have to be at the seaside that often for work, I would be here all the time.” Bourgnon likes to challenge the western Swiss sailors in their waters. “The people from French-speaking Switzerland are very strong,” he says. “When I compete in races here, it usually gets tight.”
In a good ten days, the Franco-Swiss will be taking part in the mythical “Bol d’Or” race on Lake Geneva alongside his son Mathis (24). The duo is the reigning European champion in the Nacra F20 catamaran class. The father is very proud of the family crew. “I’ve gone through several phases in my life,” he says. I’ve competed in offshore races and regattas.
I was lucky enough to be with my older brother (Editor’s note: Laurent, who died at sea in 2015) to be able to sail and shared incredible moments with him. Today I experience the same thrill with my son. I know it won’t be forever, because Mathis is asked for other races from all over the world. But I try to enjoy it and pass what I know on to him. “
He almost died at the Bol d’Or 2019
For Bourgnon Senior, the Bol d’Or could be a revenge. The regatta almost cost him his life in 2019. The 81st edition was marked by one of the worst storms Lac Léman has ever experienced. More than 200 teams had to give up.
That was also the case with the Franco-Swiss and his teammate. At the top of their class, their boat capsized in Bouveret. The mast broke on the flat bottom of the bay. “It was so violent that we was pulled underwater,” Bourgnon recalls. For two minutes he fought underwater in the eddies and currents. “I thought we were going to drown. We were very happy to get out alive. You don’t have to go to Cape Horn to experience an adventure. “
Plastic isn’t fantastic
Yvan Bourgnon has become increasingly committed to environmental protection and health in recent years. He is concerned: “As long as people do not experience hot days with 50 degrees and the plastic waste is not right in front of their house, it is difficult to get them to rethink,” says the sailor. “In the pandemic, even more single-use plastic was used again for take-away sales. The efforts of the past 12 years were ruined within a few months. “
Humans dump between 10 and 12 million tons of plastic into the oceans every year. A gigantic pollution that the seaman with the organization “Sea Cleaners” want to stop. The association, which was founded in 2016, wants to use the «Manta», a huge boat, to collect rubbish on the water.
“About thirty employees are working on the project, supported by a thousand volunteers,” says Yvan Bourgnon. “We have already raised 20 million francs. We have to double this amount in order to be able to start building the first boat. «The blueprints will be public to enable an exchange of knowledge. We hope that a few hundred copies of the ship will later be built around the world. “
Looking for donors
The practical test for acquiring a sailing license suddenly seems a long way off. Yvan Bourgnon says goodbye and makes his way to Paris, where he will try to attract new investors for his cause. This arm wrestling against the plastic criminals could be more dangerous and nerve-wracking than all the maritime challenges he has mastered in his career so far.