TF35 VERSOIX GRAND PRIX

With an outstandingly consistent weekend, Julien Firmenich’s Ylliam 17 won the TF35 Versoix Grand Prix after a single light-wind race reshuffled the leaderboard on the final day and confirmed their victory over second-placed Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier.

“It was exciting to be in the final with Bertrand and the Ylliam XII team. With a one-point lead, you’re a little torn – you think, ‘Well, if we don’t race, we win,’ but at the same time you’re preparing yourself to go all the way. In the end, we were able to sail this final race and finish on a high note,” Firmenich explained after racing.

The forecast had been predicting light conditions all week and, with Lake Geneva mirror-flat first thing on Sunday morning, the teams knew they were likely to be on standby for much of the day. The sailing instructions imposed a 16:00 cut-off for the start of the final race.

Going into the day, Ylliam 17 and Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier were separated by just one point at the top of the overnight standings, but held a comfortable 10-point advantage over the rest of the fleet. The battle for third was much closer, with X-Wing, ZEN Too, Realteam Spirit and Sails of Change 8 all in contention. Some would have welcomed the lack of wind; others needed a race.

The call to go afloat finally came at 14:00, and the race got away at 15:46 – just 14 minutes before the cut-off – in around six knots of breeze.

The two Ylliam boats were clean away from the start line, while some pre-start match racing between Sails of Change 8 and X-Wing forced the latter into an unwanted gybe and immediately put them on the back foot.

The fleet split on the first beat, with three boats heading left, three right and X-Wing attempting to recover lost ground through the middle. The right-hand side paid, and ZEN Too rounded the windward gate in the lead, with Ylliam 17 and Sails of Change 8 close behind.

There was more pressure on the right downwind, allowing the leading three boats to extend. With the course shortened at the windward mark, the order was set: ZEN Too took the race win, followed by Sails of Change 8 and Ylliam 17.

Realteam Spirit finished fourth, ahead of Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier in fifth, Sails of Change 10 in sixth and X-Wing in seventh.

Ylliam 17’s victory was thoroughly deserved. In an otherwise deep-scoring weekend, their worst result was a fifth.

“We were in the right rhythm and sailed really well all weekend. It’s really great to have a team that works well together, and we’re very happy to win this Grand Prix,” Firmenich added.

Finishing three points behind Ylliam 17, Bertrand Demole’s Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier took second overall.

The final-race victory was enough for ZEN Too to leapfrog X-Wing and claim the final place on the Versoix Grand Prix podium.

“This weekend, we didn’t make any major mistakes, although we did make a few small ones. We had some good moments, some average ones, but it wasn’t good enough to be at the front. So, everything was going to come down to today. There was only one race, and we managed to win it. So that was good,” said Alex Detrey, bowman on ZEN Too.

Remarkably, just six points now separate all seven teams in the overall TF35 2026 championship standings. Yann Guichard’s Sails of Change 8 heads into the final Grand Prix with the lead, but with the fleet so closely matched, little can be taken for granted.

The championship finale takes place in three weeks’ time at the TF35 Geneva Grand Prix, from 2–4 October, hosted by the Société Nautique de Genève.

“Honestly, it’s been an incredible season. The boats are incredibly closely matched. This is my third season here and, by far, this is the season where the level has been the most tightly contested. It really promises to be a final for the ages,” said Sails of Change 8 tactician Noé Delpech.

“We saw it again in the standings: we were battling between third and sixth place. I think the level of the fleet is really very dense, much more so than during the past two years, and that’s really great to see.

“So we’re going to have a hugely exciting final and, in any case, the best team will win.”