The 16th and final season for the Decision 35 had seven events in 2019, but six were enough for Alinghi to register its name on the trophy for the eighth time. In which case, why race in this weekend's closing Grand Prix organised by the Société Nautique de Genève? Ernesto Bertarelli, helmsman: "For this very last test of the D35 as a class – this end of an era – Alinghi's D35 could never stay at the dock with our sailors watching the other teams race! We sailed for the pleasure, tried to win, and trying also not to interfere too much on the ranking of other boats. We met competition stronger than us this weekend with Realteam winning (19 points) and Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier who finished just in front of us, following the tiebreaker system in the event of a tie (23 points each)." Pierre-Yves Jorand, team director and helmsman for the Grand Prix's last day: "Ernesto offered me the D35 helm for this last day of racing. Thanks to him and to the crew who gave me good advice. We cross the finish line of the very last race in the history of the D35 in first position... pure happiness after a port start at the committee boat." A little history... In 2019, 37 races were launched in the D35 Trophy, including two Geneva classics, with the Genève-Rolle-Genève and the Bol d'Or. Since 2004 and the start of the D35 championship, there have been just over 700 validated races, up to 12 one-design multihulls on the same starting line, a series of experienced sailors coming to test their skills, Bol d'Ors regularly won by the D35 in front of all other classes etc., and three teams there from the start to finish: Okalys, Zen and Alinghi. The Decision 35 was born thanks to the will of a group of owners wishing to sail on equal terms on one-design boats, affordable and designed to perform on Lake Geneva. Following the 2003 Bol d'Or and its devastating conditions, the order book for the first eight boats was signed on a piece of tablecloth. Architect Sébastien Schmidt conceived the D35 in close collaboration with experienced sailors and its construction took place during the winter of 2003/2004. After 16 seasons, we can say that the bet has most definitely paid off and wish equal success to the new TF35 class that will take off in 2020. Ernesto Bertarelli, helmsman: "It obviously causes a bit of a pang to think that the D35 championship is coming to an end because it's the last time we've sailed as a fleet on these beautiful boats. This last Grand Prix had a special flavour and I am obviously happy to have won the 2019 championship. What better way than to finish the saga of the D35 with our eighth win in sixteen terrific seasons? That said, the arrival of the TF35 next year promises even more thrills and will keep Lake Geneva racing at the forefront of what is being done in the world of sailing and foiling." Nicolas Charbonnier, tactician: "I think we're very lucky to have a team that changes very little. We really work together and how we communicate is a huge advantage at our level. We are also sailing and working together outside of the D35, with the GC32. This allows us to see a lot of situations, to sail a lot and, for me, it's the key to us continuing to progress all the time, to question ourselves, to make regattas and to learn from our mistakes." Are we able to decipher the conditions of Lake Geneva? "We still don't get it always right! But in the end, it's a race. We know we're not going to do everything right, we just have to make fewer mistakes than others. Especially when you sail on the lake because the winds are a little more erratic than on the sea. We must try to limit the damage when we make the wrong choice, always push ahead and question yourself." Bryan Mettraux, sail trimmer (who joined Alinghi this season): "This is my 3rd D35 championship win, after 2012 with Realteam and 2015 with Tilt. Both times right in front of Alinghi and both times with Arnaud on board ;-) "The operations are quite similar from one team to another. With the level of knowledge we have of the boat, and that our competitors also have, it's the details that make the difference. When a team wins, it's because they've been better at handling small details in all phases of the race." Next appointments for the team: > Sailing on the TF35 boat zero in October to continue the development work of this new foiler > The last event of the GC32 Racing Tour from 6 to 9 November in Oman where the championship title is at stake! Closing Grand Prix, ranking after 9 races (the worst score being withdrawn): 1st - Realteam Sailing: 19 points 2nd- Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier: 23 points 3rd - Alinghi: 23 points 2019 D35 Trophy final ranking after 7 events (the worst score being withdrawn): 1st - Alinghi: 9 points 2nd - Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier: 14 points 3rd – Realteam Sailing: 22 points Click here for all the results To find out more d35trophy.com #GoAlinghiGo #D35Trophy To find out more about how to follow the racing, the team composition and the circuit in general, find the event recap by clicking here. Photo credits ©Loris Von Siebenthal

The traditions were good: a warm welcome and a flawless organisation by the Club nautique de Crans for the traditional Alinghi Grand Prix, the raclette (eight machines melting the cheese!) shared by all competitors, a teasing wind and rain to announce the arrival of autumn... And the novelties were appreciated: the 'young' series of catamarans, Nacra 15, responded to the invitation to race and the Société nautique de Nyon also strengthened the ranks. At the end of the five validated races, Alinghi confirms its good form in the "Grand Prix" form of the races and took the win ahead of Eleven Sailing Team and Realteam Sailing. Ernesto Bertarelli, helmsman "Very nice weekend despite the few races. We waited a lot on the water, but the races we did sail were very beautiful, especially last night in the Joran, which was fabulous with a nice breeze. And then we sailed well. "A special mention about our start on our last race with a starboard position windward, launched to cover the entire fleet. The level of the sailors is strong on Lake Geneva, the fleet is compact and so it's nice when you get to start like this." Bryan Mettraux, trimmer "The key thing is consistency. Try to do the simple things and do them well. That's what pays on the D35. "Nico was also strong this weekend. Good starts, clean manoeuvres and good speed, all matched with a good tactics is a winning ticket. "Our main opponent in the championship (Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier) could not allow for a single mistake and I think that they focused more on us than on themselves. It's complicated to sail this way. They are super good, they know very well how to race, but here they have missed." Nicolas Charbonnier, tactician "We spent a lot of time on the water waiting for the wind, while trying to stay alert about what was happening or what could happen, so that we would be right in the game when the regattas were launched. We did five rounds, albeit four for us because we had enough of a lead to win before the end (the worst score being removed from four races validated). We really sailed well by being very regular at the starts, which, having executed well, we could easily go to the side of the race course that we wanted. A dream weekend. Even the traditional raclette on Saturday night was fabulous!" In the provisional season rankings, Alinghi increased its lead with six points on the clock. Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier has 12 and Eleven Sailing Team 17. While waiting for the closing Grand Prix of the 2019 D35 Championship (September 20th and 21st at the SNG), the team will head towards Riva del Garda this Monday morning for the fourth stage of the GC32 Racing Tour (regattas from September 12th to 15th). Grand Prix Alinghi de Crans, ranking after five races (the worst score being withdrawn): 1st - Alinghi: 6 points 2nd - Eleven Sailing Team: 10 points 3rd - Realteam Sailing: 12 points Click here for all the results. To find out more d35trophy.com #GoAlinghiGo #D35Trophy To find out more about how to follow the racing, the team composition and the circuit in general, find the event recap by clicking here. Photo credits ©Loris Von Siebenthal

After the summer break, the D35 Trophy returns for three end-of-season events throughout September. The Club Nautique de Versoix has just completed its organisation of a 16th Grand Prix...in 16 years of the D35 Championship! After six races, Alinghi took the win (8pts) ahead of Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier (14pts) and Realteam (15pts). Following were Okalys Youth Project, Cabestan and Eleven Sailing Team, tied for points (twenty-two). Zen Too closed the racing a point behind. As highlighted by Bryan Mettraux in his interviews on social media afterwards, this win marks a faultless record for the team in the Grand Prix format so far, with Alinghi winning three from three in 2019. Nils Frei, mainsail trimmer said: "When you look at the points at the end, it seems that it was comfortable, but that doesn't tell the whole story. The margins of victory were decided at the first crossing of the boats, or at the windward gate. It was tight! "We are happy to have sailed well. It was a nice regatta. We did well to get six races under our belt despite a bad weather forecast. "Since the beginning of this season, my two roles (coach and sailor) have been different, but complementary. For sure, I enjoy the sailing, especially on these boats that we know very well. They are really made for the conditions of the lake." At this stage of the season, Alinghi leads the trophy, three points ahead of Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier and eight of Zen Too. The team continues its racing next weekend with the 6th stage of the D35 circuit on the Crans-Près-Céligny side for the Alinghi Grand Prix, which will also see the youth series of the Nacra 15 catamarans taking place. Grand Prix de Versoix, ranking after six races (the worst score being withdrawn): 1st - Alinghi: 8 points 2nd - Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier: 14 points 3rd - Realteam Sailing: 15 points Click here for all the results. To find out more d35trophy.com #GoAlinghiGo #D35Trophy To find out more about how to follow the racing, the team composition and the circuit in general, find the event recap by clicking here. Photo credits ©Loris Von Siebenthal

Challenged by Eleven Sailing Team and Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier in the first three races, Alinghi finished second three times in the runs that were started on Friday. Saturday's day began with a disappointment in a race in which the team crossed the finishing line in 6th position after a few wind shifts. The crew pulled together, however, and took the lead in the 5th and 6th races. Then, though, the wind vanished, ending the second day, and would not reappear on Sunday until right up close to the deadline for starting racing. This brought down the curtain on the Realstone Grand Prix, second stage of the D35 Trophy organized by Société Nautique de Nyon, with Alinghi winning ahead of Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier and Eleven Sailing Team. The next stage of the championship will be fought in a different style of racing. The seven D35s will join other classes of boats for the first of two Geneva classics, the Genève-Rolle-Genève, which will take place on the 8th of June. By then, the team will already have completed the next event in its calendar: from May 23rd to the 26th in Villasimius, South Sardinia, takes place the opening Act of the GC32 Racing Tour. Grand Prix Realstone de Nyon, ranking after six races (the worst score being withdrawn): 1st - Alinghi: 8 points 2nd - Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier: 11 points 3rd - Eleven Sailing Team: 14 points Click here for all the results. To find out more d35trophy.com #GoAlinghiGo #D35Trophy To find out more about how to follow the racing, the team composition and the circuit in general, find the event recap by clicking here. Photo credits ©Loris Von Siebenthal

Nothing like a win to start the season just right. After nine rounds sailed in a rather strong wind (La Bise so strong that it grounded the crews on Sunday), Alinghi, Zen Too and Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier took the spots on the podium of this opening Grand Prix organised by the Société Nautique de Genève. Yves Detrey, Bowman: "The team has had a good recovery period and our good form in training has been confirmed in these regattas. "In order not to repeat the mistakes of the end of last season, we worked on the fundamentals and found a certain calmness on board. We did things simply, though as a team we still have to find some things to click to operate as one given the arrival of Bryan on board. "But we are on the up and will do everything to make it last!" Two incidents, almost unnoticed, but what happened? "One was due to a composite piece that was starting to get tired. The boats are old now. We've been racing for quite a few years and it was a weekend with strong wind. Suddenly we lost two sets of mainsail and jib settings. It was necessary to find a solution during the race, to finish it, which is what we managed to do. Then to find a more secure fix in the break between two heats. "The next day, a block broke under stress. There was no apparent or obvious wear and so it is difficult to predict. But it's part of the game. Fortunately we managed to tinker again during the round, without losing too much ground." The seven teams in the 16th D35 Trophy will next be lining-up on the Nyon-side of the Lake from 17 to 19 May for the Realstone Grand Prix. Ranking of the opening SNG Grand Prix after nine races (the worst score being withdrawn): 1st - Alinghi: 14 points 2nd - Zen Too: 24 points 3rd - Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier: 25 points Click here for all the results. To find out more d35trophy.com #GoAlinghiGo #D35Trophy To find out more about how to follow the racing, the team composition and the circuit in general, find the event recap by clicking here. Photo credits ©Loris Von Siebenthal

25 years after its first multi-hull took to the lake, Alinghi is launching its 2019 sporting season on Lake Geneva. Meet us at the Société Nautique de Genève from May 3rd to May 5th for the first of the seven events of the final D35 Trophy, in which seven teams will take part. Pierre-Yves Jorand, Team director : "The D35 fleet has reduced in size for this last championship, but to see the diligence of the boats in pre-season training, I think that the battle on the water will be intense and that each race will be hard-fought. Nothing more is needed to motivate the team less than a week from our first race!"   It is the final D35 Trophy because, after 16 years of good and loyal service, the Décision 35 will, at the end of the season, pass the torch to the brand new TF35. This 35-foot catamaran equipped with "T" foils (hence its name) will become, from 2020, the backbone of the one-design championship that has run from 2004 to 2019 with the D35. Before this transition, the teams will, together, be focused upon testing, developing and debugging the very first TF35, which is currently under construction and which should pull its first edges on Lake Geneva this summer. This is how Alinghi will use its free time between each event in 2019, participating actively in the development of this new racing machine. Ernesto Bertarelli, helmsman and skipper: "We are nine shareholders associated in the creation of the TF35 and each brings their own skills to the development of the boat and to the launch of the class. Our team has been contributing to this project since the start. The emphasis this time is on the development of the flight assistance system that will make the boat more accessible to teams with fewer hours of navigation in three dimensions." Thus, the season comprises the D35, the development of the TF35, but also the GC32 programme, with five events on the GC32 Racing Tour, including the World Championship series at the end of June in Lagos (Portugal). Arnaud Psarofaghis, co-helm and co-skipper: "This year, we are joining the circuit on which we made our foiling debut in 2015. We are familiar with the boat, but we will have to adapt quickly to new race areas, longer race formats that in the Extreme Sailing Series, as well as to our competitors. The first time we will line-up against them will be at the end of May in Villasimius (Sardinia)." The boats have been prepared with care, the circuits are defined, the objectives of victory are laid. The team is the only missing piece of the jigsaw... After a number of successful appearances in recent years, Bryan Mettraux officially joins the core, permanent team, an appointment that meets the requirements of a packed annual calendar, the specifications of foil racing and, as ever, the team's commitment to young Swiss sailing talents. With two titles to defend this year in D35 and GC32 and the ambition to go get a World Title in the GC32... Lights! Camera! Action! The team is ready to 'roll' around the buoys. ABOUT The Team Sailors Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI) - Helmsman and skipper - D35 & GC32 Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI) - Co-helm and co-skipper (GC32) and mainsail trimmer (D35) Nicolas Charbonnier (FRA) - Tactician - D35 & GC32 Bryan Mettraux (SUI) - Headsail trimmer - D35 & GC32 Timothé Lapauw (FRA) - Floater and foil trimmer - GC32 Coraline Jonet (FRA) - Floater - D35 Yves Detrey (SUI) - Bowman - D35 & GC32 Nils Frei (SUI) - Coach and spare crew - D35 & GC32 Technical team João Cabeçadas (POR) David Nikles (SUI) Claudy Dewarrat (SUI) Team director Pierre-Yves Jorand (SUI) Club Société nautique de Genève 2019 sporting calendar Find the dates for each event by clicking here. To find out more d35trophy.com / gc32racingtour.com / gc32worlds.com 16th D35 Trophy useful infos GC32 Racing Tour useful infos   #GoAlinghiGo #D35Trophy #gc32racingtour #gc32 Credit for photos © Loris von Siebenthal & Lloyd Images

Taking third place in the final event of the season, Alinghi took the requisite points to secure the team's seventh championship win since the launch of the D35 one-design series in 2004. Ernesto Bertarelli, skipper and helmsman: "We finished the season on the beautiful race area by Nyon. The first day of racing was complicated for us, with very tricky conditions. But the second day was fantastic with six races, in which we sailed well. After two difficult Grand Prix, we're pleased to be back on the podium here and to win the D35 championship. "I would like to congratulate Ylliam, Swisscom and Zen Too for their results, both on this last Grand Prix and in the overall standings." Nicolas Charbonnier, tactician: "Brilliant first half of the season in terms of winning the first four events and finishing fourth in the Bol d'Or. But the transition into September was a bit difficult. With Nils injured, we made some crew changes. We lost a bit of confidence, but we managed to get our heads above water to prove we still knew how to make a boat go fast." Nils Frei, trimmer: "It's a little frustrating for me not to be on board with this injury that came at just the wrong time. But the team knew how to be strong enough to find the resources and, in the end, it went well. "Following the races from outside is interesting because it's an opportunity to continue to learn. Overall the level of the fleet in D35 has become even more competitive." Pierre-Yves Jorand, team director: "On this last Grand Prix, the team was able to integrate Bryan who joined us for the first time in D35. It was also necessary to be on the ball in the Saturday races, where the winds were really shifty. "Today with the strong south west wind, we knew that there would be five or six races launched. We had to be consistent, regular, avoid making mistakes, and try to aim for a podium finish, which we managed. Congratulations to all the team for the work done throughout the season!" From Tuesday, the D35 will leave the lake by air for its winter quarters within the construction site at Décision in Ecublens. And now that the team has achieved one of its goals, it still has two Extreme Sailing Series events on the calendar. Currently in the latter stages of this international circuit on the foiling GC32, the waters of San Diego (October 18-21) and Los Cabos (November 29-December 2) will host the races that will decide the top three in the Extreme Sailing Series. SN Nyon - Realstone Grand Prix ranking after 8 races (the worst score being withdrawn): 1st - Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier: 12 points 2nd - Swisscom: 19 points 3rd - Alinghi: 23 points General classification of the 2018 D35 Trophy season after eight events (the worst score being withdrawn): 1st - Alinghi: 17 points 2nd - Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier: 22 points 3rd - Zen Too: 25 points Click here for the rankings To find out more d35trophy.com Event hashtags #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. Credit for photos © Loris Von Siebenthal