The founder of the navigation company on Lake Brenets has passed away in his 90th year. He had also founded the first taxi company in Le Locle in the 1960s.
“Jean-Claude Durig has ‘weighed anchor for his final journey,’” ArcInfo wrote on Monday. The founder of the navigation company on Lake Brenets passed away last week at the age of 89. With the loss of this iconic figure of Les Brenets, a chapter of local history comes to an end.
Photo by Yunus Erdogdu
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has shown us their support following the passing of our great Captain and founder of our family‑run navigation company. Your messages, your thoughts, your flowers, and your many expressions of affection have deeply moved us. Knowing that he touched so many people, families, passengers, partners, and friends means a great deal to us. He built this company with passion, courage, and a deep love for the lake, and we are proud to continue keeping his legacy alive every day. Thank you to all those who thought of us, who shared a memory, a kind word, or simply their presence. Your support means so much to us. With all our gratitude and appreciation 🤍
The Durig Family
And a special thank‑you to Yunus Erdogdu for this beautiful photo!
“My father was a fighter. He was a visionary and worked around the clock.” The tribute comes from Yvan Durig, who succeeded his father in 2018 as head of the navigation company. Jean-Claude Durig had bought the boats of all the restaurants along the Doubs on the Neuchâtel side to create a single company. “It was during the winter of 1962–1963,” recalls Yvan Durig, “the boats were trapped in the thin layer of ice that had formed after the summer drought.”
He had restored the Walkyrie
Durig didn’t just buy boats—he repaired them and even built some of them at the family shipyard in Les Pargots. He had partially renovated the Walkyrie, the oldest motorboat still sailing on Lake Geneva, which once belonged to Gustave Eiffel.
A graduate of the Technicum of Le Locle, Jean-Claude Durig was a self‑made man. He founded the first taxi company in the “Mère-Commune” in the 1960s—at its peak operating up to 27 Chevrolets—and drove clients as far as Italy. He later opened a garage where he restored old Corvettes, which he sometimes drove in the evenings for pleasure.
Le Locle historian David Favre retraced his entrepreneurial journey a month ago during a conference at the Casino du Locle. A final tribute will be paid to Jean-Claude Durig on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the funeral center in La Chaux-de-Fonds, accompanied by accordion music—the instrument his friends used to play on the boats to brighten the journey for passengers.
