Jerome Clerc and his crew onboard Realstone finished fourth at the Decision 35 Crans Grand-Prix in Switzerland this weekend, maintaining a narrow lead over closest rival Zen Too. Alinghi that has been racing a notch above the rest all season extended their lead and with two grand-prix still to come the competition is becoming increasingly intense.
The Crans Grand-Prix was plagued with light airs and shifty conditions last weekend, but Realstone raced hard against closest rivals Zen Too and Alinghi to finish fourth overall. “From a results point of view, this regatta wasn’t great for us,” said Jerome Clerc. “But at the same time, the conditions were extremely tricky and we could have quite easily made greater losses on both days than we did.”
Like many observers of the Decision 35 circuit, the skipper of Realteam has noticed a distinct rise in the standard this year. “Alinghi is racing a notch above the rest of the fleet, they have an edge across all areas: boat speed, tactics, boat handling… Behind them, the other teams have also improved, Zen Too in particular, who is having a great season.
“In retrospect, I think we probably took a few too many risks this weekend. We were more focussed on the overall ranking and should have perhaps raced a bit more conservatively,” he said.
Next on the agenda for the Decision 35 fleet is the Grand-Prix Grange & Cie from 21 to 22 September, followed by the final event of the season, the Grand-Prix Beau Rivage Palace, a week later.
There are still points for the taking and the ranking is wide open. “Mathematically, everything is possible,” said Jerome Clerc. “But we must be realistic, Alinghi will be very hard to beat. Our strategy going into the final two races of the season will be to compete at the top of our game and move closer to the top on points. We will also be looking to defend our second place in the overall season ranking. It promises to be an exciting end to the summer!”
Vulcain Trophy – overall ranking after six events
Alinghi 7
Realstone Sailing 15
Zen Too 16
Okalys-Corum 22
Team SUI9 24
Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing 24
Tilt 34
Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier 35
Veltigroup 36
Nickel 36
Oryx 46