The TF35 Trophy is set to launch its sixth season with a highly competitive line-up. With a mix of returning crews, sailor transfers and role adjustment, the seven teams entered are ready to challenge the much-coveted double defending champion, Sails of Change 8.
The 2026 TF35 Trophy season will run from May 15 at the Société Nautique de Nyon through to October 4 at the Société Nautique de Genève. Seven top-level crews will compete across seven events: five Grand Prix regattas and two long-distance races. The championship kicks off with the Nyon Grand Prix (May 15–17), followed by the Mies Grand Prix (May 29–31), before two Lake Geneva classics: the Genève-Rolle-Genève (May 30) and the Bol d’Or du Léman (June 6). After a summer break, the fleet returns to racing at the end of August for the Mailly Grand Prix (August 27–30), followed by a new event, the Versoix Grand Prix (September 11–13), before concluding the season with the Geneva Grand Prix (October 2–4).
Stability vs. transfers: who will find the right balance?
Realteam Spirit returns to the circuit after a 2025 season focused solely on winning the Bol d’Or du Léman. Esteban Garcia’s team, skippered by Jérôme Clerc, has made just one change, with Matthieu Sistek joining Sébastien Col, Gurvan Bontemps, Benjamin Amiot, and Eliot Merceron. Having competed in Geneva at the final Grand Prix of 2025, Realteam Spirit showed it has lost none of its winning edge.
“Our situation is quite unique because we’ve changed our base and now mainly sail out of Lausanne. Coming back to train with the other teams on the Petit-Lac was a chance to see the whole fleet again and assess how much the others have progressed over the past year,” said Jérôme Clerc, helm of Realteam Spirit. “Sailing techniques have evolved, so we need to catch up a bit. Matthieu Sistek has also joined us—he’s already sailed in the TF35 class, knows the team well, and brings great energy and a bit of youth on board.”
Sails of Change 8, led by Yann Guichard, has made two changes for this new season. The team will defend its leading position with the arrivals of Billy Besson and Matthieu Ravussin, who join Noé Delpech, Adrien Mestre, and Solune Robert. These targeted changes aim to maintain the remarkable consistency the crew has shown over the past two seasons. Winners of the championship in both 2024 and 2025, Sails of Change 8 is now aiming for a historic third consecutive title.
“Pressure to achieve a three-peat? Not really. But the pressure to win is always there,” said Noé Delpech, tactician for Sails of Change 8. “We’ve made two changes this year: Billy replaces François on mainsail trim, and Matthieu takes Bruno’s spot on the headsails. These are like-for-like replacements with sailors who already know the class. The transition has been smooth—it’s gone well within the team, with only minor adjustments—and we’re pretty happy so far.”
Sails of Change 10 is building on momentum and opting for continuity. Duncan Späth’s team, which showed strong progress with an overall third place in 2025, retains its lineup: Julien D’Ortoli, Jules Bidegaray, Yann Jauvin, Pieter Tack, and Thibault Julien. The goal is to build on that foundation and take another step forward.
“We had so much fun last year—it was a model season where we sailed a lot and improved steadily,” explained tactician Julien D’Ortoli. “The results followed, with several podium finishes. We’ve found a way of working well together, and our end-of-season debrief was simple: we want to do the same again! We’re really happy to be starting this new season together.”
X-WING is following a similar path of stability. After making a strong impression in 2025, Marco Favale has chosen to keep the same experienced crew: Manu Dyen, Yves Detrey, Nicolas Charbonnier, Arthur Cevey, and Lucien Cujean. This continuity could quickly pay off.
For Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier led by Bertrand Demole, there have been a few changes in roles and some new additions to the team, with the arrival of Morgan Lauber and the confirmation of Noah Chauvin, who are helping to strengthen a core team built around brothers Jérémy and Maxime Bachelin and Matthieu Vandame. This brings a fresh dynamic to the team, helping to restore a winning balance.
Ylliam 17, helmed by Julien Firmenich—runner-up in 2025 and winner of the Genève-Rolle-Genève—has partially renewed its crew. The team brings in top Swiss talent Arnaud Psarofaghis and Bryan Mettraux, who join Guillaume Rol, Stewart Dodson, and Nelson Mettraux.
“Arnaud and Bryan are joining us this year. They have extensive experience with foiling boats and sailing on the lake,” said Guillaume Rol, tactician for Ylliam 17. “It’s still very early in the season, but we can already see we’re quite fast. Now the goal is to put everything in place to perform from the first Grand Prix. We finished second last year, so there’s just one more step to climb. Everyone is working hard to reach that top spot—we can’t wait to get started.”
Finally, on ZEN Too, Loïc Forestier will have to do without Guy de Picciotto. The team welcomes the return of Devan Le Bihan to the series, along with Louis Chambet, who join Alex Detrey, Grégoire Siegwart, and Valentin Sipan. After narrowly missing out on the podium in the final race of 2025, ZEN Too will be eager to push for the podium in 2026.
TF35 Trophy 2026 - All to play for.
With seven teams competing and an ever-higher level of performance, the 2026 season looks wide open.
The long-distance races also promise unpredictable outcomes. Since the championship began in 2021, the Genève-Rolle-Genève has had five different winners (Zoulou in 2021, Alinghi Red Bull Racing in 2022, Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier in 2023, Sails of Change 8 in 2024, and Ylliam 17 in 2025). As for the Bol d’Or du Léman, three teams have already claimed victory: Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier in 2021, Sails of Change 8 in 2024, and Realteam Spirit in 2025. These highly anticipated races continue to be key highlights of the TF35 circuit.
