The 2024 TF35 season came to a quiet close today at the Société Nautique de Genève, as calm conditions on Lake Geneva persisted for a second consecutive day, preventing any further racing.
Having raced only three regattas on the opening day of the TF35 Realstone Cup for Léman hope Guy de Picciotto's impeccable scoreline of 1-3-1 secured them their first-ever regatta victory in the TF35 class. With strong third-place finishes at TF35 Mies, the Geneve-Rolle-Geneve, and Les Voiles de Choisi last month, today's victory sees Zen TOO propelled to third place in the overall ranking for the season.
Helm Loïc Forestier is happy with the result: "We've put in a lot of hard work this season, with many hours of training, and we've made progress throughout the year. It's great to finish the season with a Grand Prix win and a place on the final championship podium".
This season, the TF35 fleet was exceptionally competitive, thanks to upgrades in the flight control system. All six teams went into this final regatta tied on points. In the fight for the season title, two-time defending champions Realteam Sailing were locked in a deadheat with Sails of Change 8.
Realteam Sailing, having won Les Voiles de Choisi, led the standings going into the final regatta. By the end of Friday, Sails of Change 8 had pulled ahead in the event ranking their best score a win in Race 2 to Realteams third. Today, with no futher races sailed, both teams discarded this final event of the season in the overall ranking leaving both teams tied once again, with the deadheat ultinmately broken in Sails of Change 8's favour as they finished this weekend in third to Realteams fourth.
Yann Guichard, owner and helm of Sails of Change 8, reflected on the season: "It's been an incredible season. At the start of the year, we didn't know where we stood because we were a new team. We won the first Grand Prix, which gave us hope, and then we followed that up in an amazing way: we won the two long-distance races, winning the championship is the icing on the cake."
Realteam Sailing’s helm, Jérôme Clerc, remained optimistic despite narrowly missing the title: "We didn't have much success this weekend with only three races. It was a fierce battle with Sails of Change 8, which challenged us. It's good for us because it pushes us to constantly improve, and that's what sport is all about."
He added, "I’m proud of my team for fighting until the very end and believing in our chances. Congratulations to Yann and his team for a well-deserved victory."
Keeping the pressure on the leaders, second place for Bertrand Demole's Ylliam XII - Comptoir Immobilier is their best result this season; they lie fourth overall and are just one point off third.
In fifth, Julien Firmenich's Ylliam 17's delivered strong performances in the long-distance races Geneve-Rolle-Geneve and the Bol d'Or. Meanwhile, the newest team, Sails of Change 10, finished the season in sixth. The youg team helmed by Duncan Späth showed their potential with a fourth-place finish at TF35 Mies.
As the 2024 TF35 season comes to a close, the fleet will take a well-deserved break and switch from sailing to skiing until next May, when racing resumes on a warmer Lake Geneva. The 2025 TF35 season schedule will be announced in the coming months.
