The Grand Prix de Genève, held from October 3 to 5, brought the season of large flying multihulls on Lake Geneva to a spectacular and eventful close. The fifth and final act of the TF35 Trophy got off to a tense start. During training, X-Wing collided with Sails of Change 8 after a starboard refusal. The result: a destroyed port hull for the championship leader and two boats out of the race.
Deprived of its favorite, the fleet was reduced to five boats, but strengthened by the exceptional presence of Realteam, back on the circuit. The first two days were sailed in a fine 10-18 knot breeze, providing ideal conditions for these flying machines. But on Saturday, Ylliam XII – Comptoir immobilier capsized during a tack. The crew worked through the night and managed to get the boat back on its feet in time to resume racing on Sunday, in a residual Bise of 4 to 5 knots.
A total of 14 rounds were run. The last one was a thriller. Two duels were played out in parallel: the Grand Prix victory between Realteam and Ylliam 17, and the third step of the championship podium between Sails of Change 10 and Zen Too. In a close-fought final, Realteam (Jérôme Clerc) won in extremis ahead of Ylliam 17 (Julien Firmenich) and Sails of Change 10 (Duncan Späth).
Despite missing the line in Geneva, Sails of Change 8 (Yann Guichard) won the overall points standings thanks to its three Grand Prix victories. Watch our video interview. He is ahead of Ylliam 17 and Sails of Change 10.
Zen Too falls short of the podium. A page of history is turned: her owner, Guy de Picciotto, has announced his withdrawal from the championship after 128 Grands Prix contested since 2004 on the great Lake Geneva multihulls. The boat and crew will remain active next season.