TF35
Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard’s Spindrift wins the TF35 Malcesine Cup after a beautiful four-race day on Lake Garda. For the young crew onboard, this is their first win in the TF35 fleet, and helm Guichard couldn’t have been prouder of his team’s performance after the prizegiving: “We took the lead on the first day and kept it until the last day – that’s an achievement”, he enthused.
“We were very fast with good starts and competitive with the best teams in the fleet. Yann (Jauvin) made excellent tactical calls, the team has done a great job on the performance side and some days it all just works. It was a perfect event for Spindrift”.
Of the seven races sailed at the TF35 Malcesine Cup, Spindrift took four race wins. The only black mark on their scorecard came in the regatta’s final race today when a breakdown on the first beat handed them a DNF (did not finish) and the full eight points, which were swiftly discarded.
Racing on the sparkling lake, against the backdrop of the Dolomite Mountains towering, under blue skies and sunshine, the competition was hot, with the max boat speed foiling upwind clocked at 20 knots and the max downwind clocked over 30 knots in just 12 knots of breeze.
Fighting not only for their position on the Malcesine podium but also to defend their tour title in the overall 2022 championship, Realteam for Leman hope had been head-to-head with closest rivals all week. Co-skipper Jérôme Clerc explained: “This was the final day for us to be able to challenge Alinghi Red Bull Racing on the overall ranking, our team did all we could to fight for every metre, but we couldn’t manage it”.
“It’s great for the team to be in this intense competition with another crew because we push ourselves more than usual. We’ve found our weaknesses; we know what to work on next year,” Clerc adds.
In the overall ranking for the 2022 TF35 Trophy, Alinghi Red Bull Racing now holds a four-point advantage over Realteam for Leman hope going into the final event of the season in Scarlino, Italy, in October. However with the discard, they are untouchable and have won the 2022 season with an event to spare.
“We had a great fight with Realteam, and a few contact situations; some were pretty hot. We are happy to finish second at this event and win the overall season,” explained Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s Bryan Mettraux.
“It is a nice feeling to be able to go into the last event of the season, knowing we have already won the year. We will take a lot of pleasure in Scarlino – still race competitively but enjoy doing it,” he concluded.
The final event of the 2022 TF35 Trophy will take place over the 6 – 9 October in Scarlino, Italy hosted by Yacht Club Isole di Toscana. To find out more visit www.TF35.org
