The 2017 D35 Season: Almost the Grand Slam by one second!

23 September, 2017

By winning the last Grand Prix of the season in the waters of the Société Nautique de Genève, Alinghi completed a seventh victory from the eight stages of this year’s D35 Trophy, meaning that the team have now won the competition six times. From May to September, the results in the six 'Grand Prix' were dominant and the key. As for the two long races that make-up the season, Alinghi won the Bol d'Or Mirabaud, but couldn’t complete the set in the Genève-Rolle-Genève, which was won by just a second by deserved winners Swisscom in June. In the overall standings for the season, Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier rose to second place on the podium, with Zen Too taking the final spot in third. Click here to view the feedback (in French) from each member of the team having returned to the SNG pontoons. In the opinion of all, the two best memories of this D35 season will remain the windy and exciting conditions for the 2017 Bol d'Or, which made for a victory in just 5hrs’11, as well as yesterday in the regatta, which saw Alinghi record a formidable scorecard (five wins in five races). We are already looking forward to competing in the 15th season of the D35 in 2018, but before then the team will meet you in San Diego from the 19th to the 22nd of October for Act 7 of the Extreme Sailing Series, which concludes in Los Cabos (Mexico) at the beginning of December. Closing Grand Prix in SNG - Overall standings after six races (the worst score being discarded) : 1 - Alinghi: 5 points 2 - Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier: 16 points 3 - Realteam: 20 points 2017 D35 Trophy overall ranking after eight stages (the worst score being discarded): 1 - Alinghi: 7 points 2 - Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier: 21 points 3 - Zen Too: 22 points To find out more d35trophy.com Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo // #D35Trophy If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi’s team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need in this news story. Photo credits: Loris von Siebenthal

Five from five on opening day of last D35 GP

22 September, 2017

Alinghi had a faultless day on this, the opening of last D35 Grand Prix of the season – with five wins from the day’s five races, it was impossible to have had better results and Ernesto Bertarelli, who was at the helm, could not wished for a better birthday! Nicolas Charbonnier, the team’s tactician, was delighted: "It is certainly fair to say that we have had a great day. We had to wait for the wind for a while, but eventually we were able to race in 7-10 knots breeze all afternoon. Our starts were good throughout, with us sailing on the right side of the course every time. In addition to that, we had a great speed, with everyone working well together onboard. It was an ideal day, the sort you dream of when you get up in the morning to race." Nils Frei, the headsail trimmer, was also very pleased with the day’s racing: "We had conditions that were unexpectedly good. The weather forecast was rather unfavourable, but then we got a nice Séchard that was not really predicted. In the end, the conditions were perfect. We sailed under code zero (the larger of the two upwind sails), and « flew » (sailed with only one hull touching the water) all along. We managed to get the boat really going by finding the right balance between the front and the rear." For the end-of-day video recap with Nico and Nils (in French), just click here. The denouement of this, the eighth and final stage of the D35 Trophy, will take place tomorrow between 11h30 and 16h30 on the lake opposite the Société Nautique de Genève. Closing Grand Prix in SNG - Overall standings after five races (the worst score being discarded) : 1 - Alinghi: 4 points 2 - Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier: 10 points 3 - Mobimo: 17 points 4 - Realteam: 18 points 5 - Swisscom: 19 points 6 - Okalys: 20 points 7 - Racing Django: 21 points 8 - Zen Too: 23 points 9 - Phaedo2 : 32 points To find out more d35trophy.com Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo // #D35Trophy If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi’s team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need in this news story. Photo credits: Loris von Siebenthal

A double win

10 September, 2017

After 11 races of about 30 minute duration each and after a duel that came down to the final metres, Alinghi beat Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier by one point to win the Alinghi Grand Prix of Crans-près-Céligny. Zen Too took the final place on the podium. Yves Detrey, bowman, said: "It was tense to the end with Ylliam. We started the day tied, but already lost three points on them in the first race. Then we gained one back in the second race, and then two in the third, to leave us once again tied. "In the very last race, we fighted a bit at the start and we took the first advantage on the upwind leg. They managed to come back ahead of us just before the last leg. In the final downwind to the finish, we passed back in front of them with a better gybe. To win this Grand Prix, we had to finish in the top five and ahead of them in this last race. This we did - we were 4th and they were behind. Ylliam sailed really well, but in the end, we stayed ahead, and this makes me really happy." Pierre-Yves Jorand, mainsail trimmer: "It started this morning with a 5th place finish, but fortunately for us, it was ended really well. Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier's competitive sailing made for a great weekend and they certainly gave us a hard time. They sailed very well. Hats off to them! They were fast and were smart. In the end, these regattas are serious business. In these monotypes, we know that every detail counts. It was a superb Grand Prix over three days." With this new victory and a sufficient points gap on its pursuers, Alinghi is guaranteed to win the D35 Trophy 2017 without even needing to run the last event. But, as Arnaud confirmed tonight, "the team will still be fighting at the start in two weeks time because "there is always more to learn". Click here to be onboard the D35 seconds after crossing the finish line to listen to all the comments (in French) from Yves, Pierre-Yves, Arnaud and Nicolas. The next meeting on the lake is on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 September for the closing Grand Prix in the D35 Trophy organized by our club, Société Nautique de Genève. Alinghi Grand Prix in Crans-près-Céligny - Overall standings after 11 races (the worst score being discarded) : 1 - Alinghi: 24 points 2 - Ylliam comptoir Immobilier: 25 points 3 - Zen Too: 34 points 4 - Racing Django: 36 points 5 - Realteam: 49 points Click here for more results and the overall standings of the Championship after seven Acts. To find out more d35trophy.com Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo // #D35Trophy If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi’s team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need in this news story. Photo credits: Loris von Siebenthal

Alinghi D35 GP in Crans: Windy and rainy, tiring but leading

9 September, 2017

In Formula 1, the tyres are changed when it's raining. In sailing, it's just the crew's clothes that change. Remember, as long as there is wind, a sailor is happy! After two races yesterday, five races were held today in a steady wind that tested the physicality of the 54 sailors competing in the Alinghi Grand Prix in Crans-près-Céligny. After a great start to the regatta (a 2nd, three 1st place and a 3rd), Alinghi finished the day with two relatively disappointing results. Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier took the opportunity to draw level in the overall points position. Six points behind lie Zen Too, with Racing Django a point further back. Nils Frei, headsail trimmer, summed up the day: "The wind blew continuously between 11 and 18 knots. In a D35, that's hard work. We sailed with a reef in the main for four of the five races. We started the day very well with two wins without a worry. But then, in a more shifty wind, which is typical with the South-West, we experienced many changes in the wind direction, which challenged us and forced us on the back foot. As a result, we are no longer leading alone, but with the tiebreaker rules in place we are at an advantage to Ylliam, having won more races than them By the way, to practice your French and learn what the word « empannage » means (« gybe » in English), we attempt to explain it at the end of the day interview with Nils and Coraline. The finale of the Grand Prix Alinghi will be taking place tomorrow between 11:30 and 16:00 on the Lake, in front of the Club Nautique de Crans. Alinghi Grand Prix in Crans-près-Céligny - Overall standings after seven races (the worst score being discarded) : 1 - Alinghi: 13 points 2 - Ylliam comptoir Immobilier: 13 points 3 - Zen Too : 19 points 4 - Racing Django: 20 points 5 - Realteam: 27 points 7 - Mobimo: 39 points 8 - Okalys : 40 points 9 - Phaedo2 : 42 points To find out more d35trophy.com Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo // #D35Trophy If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi’s team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need in this news story. Photo credits: Loris von Siebenthal

Alinghi wins and consolidates its pole position in the D35

3 September, 2017

The red-white-and black Lac Leman multihull is entering the second half of the season in great and beautiful form, securing today, after the summer break, a victory in the sixth stage of the 2017 D35 Trophy, which was organised by the Geneva Yacht Club. Having recorded two race wins and two second places, the team dominated amidst various wind ranges. Special mention must go to the young Arnaud Grange (15 years of age), who was at the helm of Okalys. He and his crew recorded a superb second place, while Zen Too occupied the third step of the podium. Ernesto Bertarelli said: "I was unable to be onboard for the Bol d'Or Mirabaud and the GC32 events this summer. It’s therefore really satisfying to be here, to find a team at the top of its form and to achieve such a good result." For Nils Frei, who spent his summer on the GC32 in the Extreme Sailing Series, returning to the D35 required some adaptation in terms of way of sailing: "The sails are a little bigger than the GC32, so there's more effort, but less maneuvering around the marks. There’s some compensation, though. To have this weekend’s result, however, we’ve got to say that the transition from one boat to another went rather well!" There is now a few days of rest for the team before they return to the lake for Act 7 of the D35 Trophy in the Alinghi Grand Prix of Crans-Près-Céligny (from 8 to 10 September). Overall standings from Act 6 – Open du Yacht Club : 1st - Alinghi: 4 points 2nd - Okalys: 8 points 3rd - Zen Too: 10 points 4th - Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier: 11 points 5th - Racing Django: 13 points Click here for more results and the overall standings of the Championship after six Acts. Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo // #D35Trophy To find out more d35trophy.com If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi’s team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need in this news story. Photo credits: Alinghi