Radolfzell, 05/30/2022: Done! After almost 22 hours on the water, Max Gasser from the Wäschbruck Radolfzell Water Sports Club and Elias Fauser from the Constance Yacht Club arrived at the Constance marina at 07:30 this morning. Before that, they did what no one in their boat class has officially done before: They circumnavigated Lake Constance without stopping in their Laser dinghies, which are only 4.23 meters long. The two athletes spent the 85 nautical miles alone on their boats. A motorized escort boat served only for their safety.
"It was exciting, exhausting and thrilling," reports Max Gasser in a first reaction. The "Lake Constance Challenge" was not only a great sporting challenge, but also served the purpose of campaigning against the pollution of Lake Constance by microplastics - a growing problem, as Elias Fauser is also aware, who said in the run-up to the action:
"We sailors come very close to the water as an element that makes up more than 70 percent of the earth's surface. That's when you really feel what a unique habitat it is. When Max and I came up with the idea for the Challenge during a lull at the German Youth Championships in the Laser Radial last year, it was immediately clear to us: we want to use this action to promote the conservation of our local waters." With their Challenge, Max Gasser and Elias Fauser collected donations to support the fight against microplastics in European inland waters. The Global Nature Fund and the Lake Constance Foundation are also dedicated to this goal as part of their joint EU-funded LIFE Blue Lakes project, which helps communities reduce microplastic pollution in their waters.
Learn more about LIFE Blue Lakes