The shipyard in Wollishofen is bustling with activity; the historic steamboat “Stadt Rapperswil” is being prepared for the first trip of the season. In the middle of it all, with a watchful eye on the action and a word of appreciation for each crew member, stands head captain Pascal Wieders. We accompany him today on the journey across the entire lake, from Zurich to Rapperswil and back again. Wieders doesn’t look the part of your typical sailor, but the moment he starts talk­ing, it is clear that he is a ship’s captain with heart and soul. He enjoys sharing his passion for seafar­ing as he speaks enthusiastically about his job on the water – a rather exotic one here in landlocked Switzerland.

As part of a boat tour, we cross the deck where the flags are being raised to celebrate the day, then climb up to the helm via a steep ladder. Today, the beautiful wooden wheel in the old cabin is actually just a decor­ation, as Wieders explains. “The steam engine is controlled from the engine room. That’s why the voice pipe is extremely import­ant.” He points to a shiny pipe, somewhat reminiscent of a brass instrument and open at the top. “The entire communication happens through this. I shout my commands down into the engine room, and the engineers execute them without looking outside. You’ve got to know each other really well and be a well­-coordinated team! I am the eyes, the engineer is the hands.”

Before we pull out to sea, Wieders gathers the entire crew for a short briefing and goes over the main points. Then everyone proceeds to their posts as he himself climbs back up to the helm. “Ready?!” he calls down through the voice pipe into the engine room, and gets the okay from the after lookout. “Back!” he finally gives the com­mand – the vessel slowly starts moving and we set out into the still­ grey morning. A smile spreads across Wieders’ face: “This is the best moment of the day!”

With a forceful turn, the vessel leaves the shipyard and we begin riding swiftly towards Zurich. “We’ll be making a starboard landing at Bürkliplatz,” explains Wieders. Upon arriving, we are greeted by the waitingmcrowd consisting of loyal fans and Sunday trippers. Wieders smiles and raises his hand in greeting. The sailors moor the ropes and the passengers board. The journey continues along the beautiful lake shore. A fresh, spring-­like wind wafts across the ship.

We regu­larly dock on the shore and more passengers get on. Each docking point is different in terms of the wind, the currents, and (sometimes) shoals. “With its side­wheel propulsion, manoeuvring a steamer is extremely demanding. There’s a single rudder blade on the stern in the rear, and if we’re too slow, the ship is no longer manoeuvrable! The reason it’s so difficult to moor at the dock is that you have to ride towards it at high speed! This demands a lot of effort in the beginning. If it were a motor boat, you couldn’t slow down on time at that speed! This requires gut feeling and finesse, along with mental strength. The old captains always said in training: During your first years, the ship steers you – and eventually at some point, you begin to steer the ship!” No wonder training as a steamboat captain is the culmination of a captain’s career. It is only possible to undergo this training after a full 20 years of professional experience.

Wieders began his career at the Lake Zurich Navigation Company (ZSG) 28 years ago as a sailor and worked his way up to the position of captain, from the smaller to the big ships. Since 2013, he has been a steamboat captain, and, since 2016, head captain on Lake Zurich. Even today he drives all of the ZSG’s ships, down to the diminu­tive Limmat boat. But the steamboat truly has a special atmosphere, he says. “You depend on each other and it’s a special kind of collaboration. Navigating a steamer is still very much a real craft, an authentic nautical experience!”

Finally, we also pay a visit to the engine room, the heart of the steamer. It’s hot down there, and noisy from the working machines. The two engin­eers are true masters of their trade. They know each and every screw of the steam engine, since they spend the winter in the shipyard taking care of the main tenance of the engine and carrying out the necessary repairs themselves.

Meals are also well provided for here on the ship; the restaurant located on the top serves up fresh salad and fish strips. After a coffee, we climb back up to the helm. Always keeping an eye on the water in order to spot obstacles well beforehand, Wieders tells anecdotes about his day-­to-­day pro­fessional life while sharing his knowledge with us. Time flies by, and at the same time, when you arrive back in Zurich hours later, you feel deeply relaxed – as if you had just returned from far away.·