TF35 Trophy Mies Regatta & Geneve-Rolle-Geneve 2022 for Alinghi Red Bull

TF35 Trophy Mies Regatta & Geneve-Rolle-Geneve great Photos by Loris von Siebenthal, video & report sent by TF35 Trophy Media.

ALINGHI RED BULL RACING WINS THE HOTLY CONTESTED TF35 MIES

Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi Red Bull Racing triumphed at the end of a thrilling final day of the TF35 Mies Grand Prix, which came down to a match racing battle with closest rivals Realteam for Léman hope over the last three races of the series.

Bertarelli’s Swiss America’s Cup challenger team went into the day ahead, tied on points with Realteam for Léman hope, but with the confidence of having won the Genève-Rolle-Genève long-distance race yesterday.

In today’s opening race, it was Jérôme Clerc and his crew on Realteam for Léman hope who led the fleet until the final cross to the finish line. When the dark blue hulls of Alinghi Red Bull Racing skimmed ahead to claim the win, putting Realteam in second and Guy de Picciotto’s ZEN Too in third.

“The racing was very close all weekend. Congratulations to Realteam, Yilliam and Spindrift, who sailed well,” said a beaming Bertarelli on the dockside at the end of three days of intense competition. “Realteam and Spindrift especially have given us a lot to work on and a hard time on the race course. We are happy to finish just in front of them.”

Realteam for Léman hope fought back in the next race to take the win from Bertarelli with Spindrift in third, putting the two rivals back on tied points going into the day’s final race.

In this seventh and last race of the TF35 Mies series, threatening storm clouds rolled in over the lake as the compact fleet followed the transom of Alinghi Red Bull Racing as they slalomed upwind. At the leeward gate, Realteam for Lèman hope were in fourth, with Vitamina Sailing and Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier between them and Bertarelli’s leading team. As the radio call was made to finish the race at the second windward gate, Realteam for Léman hope found enough speed to leapfrog into second place, but not enough speed to catch Alinghi Red Bull Racing, who won the race and the overall TF35 Mies trophy.

Bertarelli added: “We are happy with our performance. We have learnt a lot from Realteam; we have watched them sail as they have had an edge on us upwind until now, but I think we have caught up. We managed to balance the boat out and resolved a bit of disadvantage we had on starboard, so we are happy with how the boat is going and the performance this weekend shows it”.

Completing the podium in third this weekend is Bertrand Demole’s Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier. Their result was especially satisfying after a disappointing seventh in Nyon just two weeks ago: “We had a beautiful weekend, so it has been an absolute pleasure to be racing. The team is gelling together, we are starting to find our rhythm, and I’m happy with the preparation of the boat,” Demole explained.

“Our TF35 feels a lot more stable now as the onshore crew have focused on the trimmings and setting, and onboard, we are starting to get to know each other and work well together, which makes us more stable and confident,” he added.

Fourth-placed Spindrift capsized today, adding to the excitement of the final race sprint to the finish line. “We were upwind on the last leg of the day on starboard tack, and a strong gust hit us. The boat took off, and as we fell, the windward rudder tore away, so we lost all control and went over,” summarised helm Yann Guichard.

“It was quite impressive to experience, but there were no injuries, just a bit of material damage to the boat. We have a big week of work ahead of us now but are motivated to be ready for the Bol d’Or Mirabaud next Saturday,” he said.

In fifth overall was Guy de Picciotto’s ZEN Too, who’s third in race five breaks the points tie on countback with French team SAILFEVER, who finished the weekend in sixth. The new Italian team Vitaminia Sailing struggled with consistency and finished the regatta in seventh place.

Next weekend the seven TF35s will participate in the 83rd edition of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, the world’s largest inland lake regatta. Having won last year, Demole is ready to defend his title. “The one rule I tell my crew is that I don’t care about second place, especially for races like the Bol d’Or; you go for the win. We will be on full attack and will try our best to bring the cup home.”

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TF35 MIES RANKING
(after seven races with one discard)
1.Alinghi Red Bull Racing – 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 – 8
2.Realteam for Léman hope – 3 1 1 2 2 1 2 – 9
3.Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier – 2 3 4 4 5 8DNF 3 – 21
4.Spindrift – 5 4 3 3 8DNF 3 8DNF – 26
5.ZEN Too – 6 6 6 5 3 6 5 – 31
6.Team SAILFEVER – 7 5 5 6 4 4 4 8DNF – 31
7.Vitamina Sailing – 4 7 7 8DNF 6 5 4 – 33

TF35 2022 OVERALL RANKING
(after two events)

1.Alinghi Red Bull Racing – 2 1 – 3
2.Realteam for Léman hope – 1 2 – 3
3.Spindrift – 3 4 – 7
4.Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier – 7 3 – 10
5.Team SAILFEVER – 4 6 – 10
6.ZEN Too – 5 5 – 10
7.Vitamina Sailing – 6 7 – 13

ALINGHI RED BULL RACING WINS THE GENÈVE-ROLLE-GENÈVE

Alinghi Red Bull Racing wins the Genève-Rolle-Genève in 3h2m after fighting hard to stay ahead of old rivals Realteam for Léman hope and Spindrift on a perfect day of racing on Lake Geneva.

The long-distance race started lightly under brilliant sunshine with the fleet of 220 boats drifting over the start line in three knots of breeze. Of the TF35s, Spindrift had the best start and took an early lead, in contrast, form team Alinghi Red Bull Racing struggled: “We got a little covered, so we weren’t in a better position for the start of the race,” explained Arnaud Psarofaghis. “Just after the start Nico (Charbonnier) managed to find us a good line to successfully cross the fleet of multihulls and monohulls and reach the French coast at Collonge-Bellerive, which put us in the leading group.”

By the first cross on the approach to Versoix Realteam for Léman hope had taken the lead from Spindrift with Alinghi Red Bull Racing chasing meters off their stern.

As forecast, good wind conditions began to pick up for the afternoon and the TF35s, specifically designed to fly in ultra-light winds, were on their foils by Coppet as the breeze picked up to 7-knots. But still, all seven TF35s remained compact, and the competition tight as the fleet followed the pressure beating up the righthand side of the lake.

Realteam lost her grip on the lead momentarily as they left the Petit Lac with Spindrift ahead for one cross and then Alinghi ahead in the next, but skipper Jérôme Clerc quickly pulled it back before either of his rivals could get away.

A lull in the wind saw the lake go oily smooth on the approach to the Rolle turning mark. Realteam for Léman hope were the first of the fleet to ghost in, followed in quick succession by second-placed Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Spindrift in third.

Of the chasing pack, only a few boat lengths behind, Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier and Vitamina sailing rounded the turning mark in fourth and fifth respectively, with Team SAILFEVER and ZEN Too bow to stern after that.

Having led at the halfway point, Realteam for Léman hope lost their advantage on the approach to Nyon as mainsail trimmer Francois Morvan explained: “We had a little speed deficit, and when we got to Yvoire we didn’t come out fast enough. We didn’t have enough of a lead to set off with the Séchard, and we were overtaken downwind by Alinghi and Spindrift, who arrived strong and left with more pressure.”

The fleet was on foils for the entire downwind leg back to Geneva, hitting 28 knots of boat speed in 12 knots of breeze approaching the finish line. “We had a beautiful long downwind at 25-28knots of boat speed. It was a great day for the team, we had heaps of fun, and we are improving every time we go sailing,” said a beaming Pierluigi De Felice as Vitamina Sailing came ashore.

“I have done several Genève-Rolle, but today is easily the most beautiful race in terms of conditions,” added Morvan.

Enjoying the tight competition, Spindrift’s Xavier Revil said: “Downwind, we thought it would be difficult to overtake because we knew that we were going towards more wind all the time, which means that the first will be better served. We managed to make a shift on Realteam and take the inside of the turn. This allowed us to go ahead and finish the day second, so we are thrilled. It was nice to sail in these conditions and to do a fast Genève-Rolle-Genève.”

Holding a faster pace downwind new Italian team, Vitamina Sailing, led the chasing pack across the finish line in fourth with Team SAILFEVER in fifth, ZEN Too in sixth and Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier in seventh.

Tomorrow regular fleet racing will resume for the TF35 Mies Grand Prix, with the first warning signal planned for 11.30 CET.

TF35 GENÈVE-ROLLE-GENÈVE
1.Alinghi Red Bull Racing
2.Spindrift
3.Realteam for Léman hope
4.Vitamina Sailing
5.Team SAILFEVER
6.ZEN Too
7.Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier