JAN C.GYGER. MEET UP

Balancing Life and Speed: The Swiss Sailor Chasing Lüderitz

Swiss speed sailor JAN C. GYGER has perfected the art of living in two worlds. Splitting his time between Switzerland and Sardinia, with frequent missions to La Palme, Jan has shaped a lifestyle where work fuels his freedom, and the wind fuels his passion. With his ultimate dream being Lüderitz—the mecca of speed sailing—he’s constantly pushing himself to perform at the highest level, wherever he sails. We caught up with him to talk about life, work, and chasing speed.

You split your time between Switzerland and Sardinia, and you often go to La Palme. How do these various locations influence your training and style in speed sailing?

That’s a good question and not easy to answer.
All these various locations offer so many different conditions—from 2-meter waves and heavy chops to perfectly flat water. I get everything. I surf in extremely low wind as well as extraordinarily strong wind, and the mix of fresh and salt water, cold and hot weather, improves my skills every session. I try to push every moment I’m on the water, not only on the fin but also on the foil. On the foil I’m still missing the high-top speed, but with my consistent jibes—23.58 knots on Alpha500 and 20.93 knots on the 1-hour average—I’m happy, those are good numbers.
My focus is always on jibes and long distance. That’s the most important thing for me.

Speed sailing requires focus and consistency. How do you manage to balance four months of work with months of full-time windsurfing?

I try to live in the moment and focus 100% on whatever I’m doing.
During the months I must work, I concentrate completely on work. Mostly I work 3–4 months in winter—it’s easier to focus when the Swiss lakes are freezing cold. When the water is 7°C and the air below 10°C, I don’t really want to surf, so it’s better to invest my energy into earning the budget for the rest of the year.

Of course, I’d prefer to only windsurf and travel to warm destinations in winter, but for now the easiest is to work in construction in Switzerland.
Let’s cross fingers for a future where I can live from windsurfing and from working in the windsurf industry, like I dreamed since I was a little windsurf boy in the 80s.

Your dream is Lüderitz, the ultimate speed sailing destination. How do you prepare for trips there, both physically and mentally?

I guess for every speed sailor it’s a dream to blast down the channel at Lüderitz at least once.
For me—considering I started speed sailing just one year ago and only came back to windsurfing in summer 2022 after a 25-year break focusing on my snowboard career—I didn’t really think seriously about going to Lüderitz at first. Also, because the channel is artificial and not long enough for the mile, which has always been my main discipline.

But the day I hit 40.38 knots on the 500 meters this September at La Palme, everything changed. Now I’m curious how fast I could go there.
Could I even reach 50 knots?

Equipment choices are crucial for top speeds. How do you adapt your boards, sails, and fins for Switzerland, Sardinia, or La Palme?

I just take what I have and go out.
In Switzerland I’m more often on foil gear than small slalom, and of course at La Palme you can only be fast on a speed board and asymmetrical fins. I was already fast on the no-cam AC-0 and my 98-liter slalom board, but soon the speed family pushed me onto a 45 board—and that changed everything.

On the Swiss lakes and the Sardinian ocean I mostly ride the same gear with small adjustments: slightly bigger or smaller fin or foil, mast foot a bit forward or back, and a different sail trim for speed.
My budget and the space in my car are limited, so I don’t have every slalom board size to switch between salt and fresh water.

I have a 62, 70–72, and 85-wide slalom board, plus an 85 and 91-wide foil board, and 45 and 52-wide speed boards.
Most important is that I feel comfortable—then I can push. My new supporters, Chopper Fins and F4 Foils, changed my surfing a lot compared to my old setup. Now I can push harder and keep improving. And I love my Point-7 sails—they always work plug and play, then some fine-tuning to optimize performance for the heavy downwind angle of the speed beach.

What’s a typical training day like when you’re not working, and how do local conditions affect your sessions?

I like to go to the spot early. It gives me time to hang out with the crew, enjoy the vibes, and talk about windsurfing. Often, I help people tune their gear or give tips on how to get faster or jibe better.

Depending on the conditions, I set up foil or fin gear, sometimes prepare two sails, and then hit the water. Usually after 2 hours and about 80 km I’m done, and I go back to hanging out and talking about the biggest jumps and fastest speeds while the gear dries before packing up.

Wind conditions change a lot depending on the spot. How do you adjust your technique and strategy for maximum speed?

Go with the flow—or like Bruce Lee said: “Be like water.”
Feel the conditions and adapt. Gear setup changes a bit depending on wind. In light wind with bigger sails my harness lines are shorter, and my boom is higher. In strong wind with small sails, the lines get longer, and the boom goes lower.

In speed I ride an exceptionally low boom—nipple height.
In light-wind foiling it’s at chin height.

In general: if you start losing control, make your harness lines longer or lower your boom. If the board’s nose is rising too much, move the mast base 1 cm forward or lower your boom.

What has been your most memorable moment so far, and what made it special?

The moment I checked my GPS and saw 40.38 knots on the 500 m, 42.25 knots on 2 sec, and some weeks earlier a mile average of 36.71 knots. That’s top 15 miles overall in 2025, and considering my age, top 4 in master’s and top twenty on 500 m so far this year. Crazy—I am super happy about it.

But after my 40-knot run, which didn’t even feel that fast, I know I can go way faster—both in the mile and at 500 m.

Besides numbers, I feel super honored to be a member of the Chris Benz Ocean Team alongside friends and legends like Björn Dunkerbeck, Antoine Albeau, and Roger Ornvang. It feels amazing to be mentioned next to these guys, and I’ll give everything to get closer to their records.
To reach 42 or even 27 world titles… I might run out of time.

Looking forward, what are your main goals for next season? Is Lüderitz 2026 happening?

Next step is 45-knot peak speed and 40 knots on the mile.
Further ahead, of course, the magic 50 knots.

45 and 40 are possible at La Palme.
50 peak will be extremely hard there, and 50 on 500 m nobody has ever done—so yes, if I find support to finance a trip to Lüderitz in 2026, I’m ready for the challenge.

My own budget won’t allow it—it costs 15–20k to join the LSC for four weeks. And just thinking about bringing 20–30 fins make me dizzy. Sadly, now it’s a trip only for people with big financial backing.
I hope soon we find a way to make it more affordable and open it to a bigger fleet.

Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring speed sailors who want to combine work and high-level sailing like you?

Just do it. Do what you love, and life will provide what you need.
The most valuable thing in life is time—and the freedom to use it the way you want. Start living your dream today and let your dreams become reality.

Speed will come. You improve step by step.
They all told me it takes a long time to get fast, but only one year into speed I already reached over 40 knots on the 500 m.

I’m sure many of you who are scared—like I was—to step on a 45-wide board and fly down the line with a 5.4 in 45 knots can be just as fast or faster. Once you feel how easily it runs down the speed beach—and you only discover that by doing it—you’ll want nothing else but another faster run.

Usually my motto is “Less is more.”
In windsurfing that’s true—at least for board and fin size.
Keep pushing!

Big thanks to all my supporters, especially to you, Kuki. You believed in me from the first day we met in November 2023 in Stintino. You opened the door to this great adventure. Let’s bring some Black Sails back to the channel!

Follow my journey on Instagram: @jansui39

Jan S. Gyger embodies the dream of freedom that speed sailing represents.

By balancing work and windsurfing across Switzerland, Sardinia, and La Palme, he’s carving his path toward Lüderitz and beyond. With dedication, passion, and relentless drive, Jan proves you can chase both career and wind with equal intensity.