Seven crews were separated by just six points going into the final event, with four still in contention for the title on the last day: rarely has the TF35 Trophy produced such an open finale.
In the end, only three races were sailed at the TF35 Trophy final in Geneva, organised by the Société Nautique de Genève from 2 to 4 October. On Friday, after almost seven hours on the water and two abandoned starts, the race committee managed to run three races in a 5–6 knot Séchard. In these light-air conditions, where the slightest puff can completely reshuffle the standings, Realteam Spirit immediately made its mark. Jérôme Clerc and his crew won the first two races, with Ylliam 17 finishing second on both occasions. In the third race, X-WING struck back, taking the win ahead of Sails of Change 8 and Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier. This provisional ranking would ultimately become the final classification…
Saturday and Sunday without wind
On Saturday, Lake Geneva remained frustratingly flat. Despite waiting until 4:30 p.m., the few puffs of wind that appeared barely exceeded 1 to 2 knots, so no race could be started. Sunday brought more of the same. The TF35s headed towards Versoix in the hope of finding an afternoon breeze that had been forecast, but it remained too unstable. The season therefore came to an end without any further racing.
Realteam Spirit thus won the Geneva Grand Prix with 7 points, ahead of Sails of Change 8 (9) and Ylliam 17 (10). ZEN Too finished fourth with 12 points, ahead of X-WING and Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier, both on 13 points, while Sails of Change 10 brought up the rear with 20 points. A victory with a slightly bitter taste for Jérôme Clerc: Realteam had primarily hoped to use the final day to make a bid for the title.
A well-deserved title
Behind this shortened final lay an exceptionally competitive season. Sails of Change 10 opened the season by winning the Grand Prix de Nyon. Sails of Change 8 responded in Mies, while Ylliam 17 won the Genève-Rolle-Genève for the second year in a row, after more than ten hours in near-calm conditions and with just nine seconds separating them from Realteam Spirit. The Bol d’Or then went to Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier. On the return to competition, Realteam Spirit dominated the Grand Prix du Mailly, before Ylliam 17 triumphed in Versoix.
This diversity of winners explains the extraordinary closeness of the championship standings going into Geneva: just six points separated the seven crews. Sails of Change 8 arrived as leaders on 10 points, just one point ahead of ZEN Too and three ahead of Realteam Spirit.
In the end, Yann Guichard and Sails of Change 8 win the 2026 TF35 Trophy with 12 points, securing their third consecutive title. Realteam Spirit, back on the circuit after a quieter 2025 season in the championship, finished second with 14 points. ZEN Too completed the podium with 15 points, ahead of Ylliam 17 (17), X-WING (21), Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier (21) and Sails of Change 10 (23).
The particularly tight final standings confirm one thing above all: after six seasons, the TF35 class has rarely been as evenly matched. Although the wind refused to deliver the great showdown expected at the Geneva Grand Prix, it does not detract from the main point: 2026 was an exciting season. Roll on next year!
Find out more: tf35.org
Photos : Loris von Siebenthal