Esteban Garcia’s team, skippered by Jérôme Clerc, left nothing but crumbs for the other TF35s in 2023. If the equation “the best team wins” seems simple, such a balance is a rare phenomenon.
Text: Oliver Dufour
Photos: Loris von Siebenthal
If statistics were anything to go by, you’d swear that the TF35 Trophy 2023 was a one-man show for Realteam Sailing. In fact, owner-sailor Esteban Gar- cia’s team won every event of the season. Six in a row, during which the hydrofoil catamaran in various shades of blue refused to relinquish first place. The more fussy will rightly protest that Realteam only took 5th and penultimate place in the Genève-Rolle-Genève at the beginning of June. However, the circuit rules combine the rankings of the season’s two classic long-distance regattas. First TF35 at the finish of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud a week later, Realteam again took first place. While the dominance of the crew led by Jérôme Clerc is indisputable – with a historic final total of 5 points – it must be qualified. As the skipper reminds us, the duels with the main challengers, Spindrift and Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier, regularly came down to nothing. “Our rivals always kept up the pressure. As the season progressed, the battles on the water became tighter and tighter. The result sometimes swung in our favor on details. In Malcesine, it was a case of “à toi, à moi” with Spindrift. But that’s also what pushed us not to rest on our laurels.”
Alchemy comparable to 2012
Jérôme Clerc attributes this ability to bounce back from difficulties to the state of mind of his Franco-Swiss team. “We had fantastic group chemistry, which is rare. The only time I’ve experienced a comparable phenomenon was in 2012, when we won almost everything during the D35 season.” That year, Realstone Sailing – which was not yet the professional Realteam, founded the following year by Esteban Garcia – won the overall Vulcain Trophy, as well as its first (and to date only) Bol d’Or, all series combined. Jérôme Clerc, already skipper and helmsman, led a phalanx of young talent from the CER, of which he was also administrator. Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bryan Mettraux and Nils Palmieri were just some of the young crew members.
What’s the main driving force behind a team that has conditioned itself to sail to win it all? The challenge,” replies the 43-year-old without hesitation. It’s what drives a group, what pushes them to surpass themselves collectively. What’s more, this year we were celebrating Realteam Sailing’s tenth anniversary, which was an added incentive.” The crew also benefited greatly from being the most experienced in the art of hydrofoil sailing, comprising sailors with GC32 and Flying Phantom experience. The absence of Alinghi’s other top foiling specialists, engaged in their own America’s Cup challenge, was certainly also a factor. “But those who were here this year will soon catch up,” promises Jérôme Clerc.
Success built in three phases
Three main milestones marked this anniversary year for Realteam. Firstly, in March, the team finally managed to win the Blue Ribbon, the record for the fastest round trip between Geneva and Le Bouveret, a feat it had been dreaming of for several years. We’d already come close several times in GC32s, with attempts that had either narrowly failed or been interrupted by breakage or bad weather,” recalls the skipper. The fact that we succeeded showed our resilience. We were all aiming to do our best over a given distance, and on a production boat rather than a purpose-built prototype. That moment was the trigger, because it freed us up and relieved some of the pressure,” says Jérôme Clerc.
The TF35 Trophy was the second phase of Realteam Sailing’s historic success. Once the Blue Ribbon was behind us, we could really switch into Grand Prix mode and focus on this championship,” says the Lausanne resident. If we hadn’t succeeded in setting the new benchmark, it could well have affected the rest of the season. So we were able to fine-tune our sailing for these sprint course formats.
Staying creative for the 2024 season
The third and most important step for the crew assembled by Esteban Garcia was the unexpected attempt to replace the foils on their TF35 with daggerboards, and to make it as light as possible in view of the light conditions forecast for the Bol d’Or. We were daring enough to choose this tactical option, which no one had tried before and in which no one really believed,” says Jérôme Clerc. Once again, we were six guys in total agreement, even though it was also a decision that could have divided the team! This gamble would have worked had it not been for the formidable competition from the D35s and M2s in very light airs. But Realteam was able to console itself by dominating its own TF35 fleet at the end of the most prestigious of regattas. Next season, Realteam Sailing will be aiming to pursue its lofty goals in the series. We have no plans to disperse ourselves into other series,” assures Jérôme Clerc. The TF35 Trophy 2024 promises to be exciting, as our rivals will logically have progressed. So we’ll have to redouble our efforts to maintain our lead. Being ahead forces you to be creative, whereas if you’re chasing, you generally try to take inspiration from what the leaders do best”, he concludes, aware that the fightback is already being organized in Realteam’s wake.
