Two bullets on day two of the TF35 Versoix Grand Prix were exactly what Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier needed to stay in contention for overall victory going into tomorrow’s final, with Ylliam 17 holding the overnight lead.
The first bullet of the day was clear-cut from the start for owner and helm Bertrand Demole. In just six knots of breeze, the fleet was unusually late to the line. At the front of the pack, however, Ylliam XII were in control, finding clear air and sailing away from the fleet. They rounded the windward gate a full three boat lengths ahead and crossed the finish line before second-placed Sails of Change 8 and third-placed X-Wing had made it halfway down the run.
Race two was less straightforward. Fighting their way to the front on the first beat, Ylliam XII were particularly strong on both downwind legs, staying in good pressure and avoiding the congestion created as boats competing in the North Sails Double came through the course. Their win was followed by Ylliam 17 in second and X-Wing in third.
“Three great first races, especially with a good tactical choice that made it easier to get the most out of the boat,” explained mainsail trimmer Matthieu Vandame.
In the third race however Ylliam XII was called OCS at the start. They quickly completed a 360-turn around the start pin, which sent them out towards the left-hand side of the racecourse and the port layline. When the fleet crossed back, Ylliam XII were second behind leaders Zen Too, a position they held to the finish.
“The fourth race was a little less successful - we finished seventh - which means we’re one point behind Ylliam 17. Tomorrow is the final, and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got to fight them and enjoy ourselves. And if we enjoy ourselves and perform the way we managed to at the start of today, it could go very well,” Vandame said.
Julien Firmenich’s Ylliam 17 lead the fleet overnight after a 5-2-4-1 scoreline today, with Ylliam XII one point behind in second. The leading pair have opened up a 10-point advantage over the rest of the fleet.
As usual on Lake Geneva, the conditions today proved challenging. Large shifts to the right made the racecourse difficult to read, with the pressure and shifts not necessarily behaving in the same way upwind and downwind, or even between the first and second upwind legs. So a little luck was also required.
For the second day running, X-Wing produced another notable performance. The team have been chipping away at their consistency this season and it is beginning to show in the points. After scoring two seconds in four races yesterday, they went one better today with three thirds from four races.
“We’re right on the verge of being properly at the front, but we need to stop making the big, obvious mistakes that put us in trouble. Either we’re up there with the guys at the front, or we’re last, and we need to stop finishing last. It can happen, obviously, but sometimes we put ourselves in a difficult position,” said headsail trimmer Yves Detrey.
Despite their tendency to drop a race at the back of the fleet, X-Wing have done enough to hold third in the overnight standings going into the final day.
“The debriefs are fairly constructive,” Detrey added. “Obviously, we’re trying to identify and correct the mistakes we’re making. I hope we’ll already have improved some things by next weekend. I don’t think everything is going to change overnight as if by magic, but I think that at the next Grand Prix, we’ll be able to really go on the offensive, with a good chance of catching the boat ahead.”
Zen Too are two points behind in fourth, with Realteam Spirit a further point back in fifth. Sails of Change 8 finished second in both the first and last races today, but it was not enough to move them up the leaderboard from sixth, with their teammates on Sails of Change 10 in seventh.
