Ultra-light wind Genève-Rolle-Genève: Ylliam 17 takes TF35 win after 10-hour drift
by TF35 Trophy 31 May 11:45 BST
29-31 May 2026
The TF35 fleet knew before leaving the dock that this year's Genève-Rolle-Genève would become a test of patience rather than pace.
With almost no wind forecast for the 30-nautical-mile course, Saturday's race quickly turned into a long, tactical grind across a glassy Lake Geneva. After 10 hours and 16 minutes of racing, it was Ylliam 17, helmed by Julien Firmenich, that emerged from the darkness to defend its 2025 title and the TF35 victory.
The warning signs were there from the beginning. Forecast models showing "zero wind from nowhere" created nervous smiles and quiet concern on the dock in Mies during the morning preparations.
"The day is shaping up to be extremely complicated in terms of wind. At least we should have beautiful sunshine, so that's something. But it's likely to be very long and we'll need to stay extremely alert", explained Ylliam 17's Sébastien Aubord.
"We'll have to watch for every little puff of breeze coming off the land, whether from the French shore or the Swiss shore, and try to make the best possible use of it to work our way towards Rolle first. Then later in the evening, around sunset, on the way back to Geneva, we'll see whether there's any breeze coming down from the Jura and along the Swiss shore."
At the 13:30 start, a fragile four-knot breeze was just enough to send the fleet of more than 200 boats away cleanly. By the time the TF35s reached Versoix, Realteam Spirit - which had dedicated its entire 2025 season to winning the Bol d'Or - had edged ahead of Sails of Change 8.
Up the Petit Lac, the fleet remained tightly compressed. Realteam Spirit led the way while Ylliam XII - Comptoir Immobilier and X-Wing traded places behind, crossing tacks repeatedly along the French shoreline past Messery.
At one point the breeze briefly touched 10 knots, enough for the TF35s to lift onto foils for a short-lived burst of speed. But as Realteam Spirit entered the Grand Lac, the pressure that had carried them beyond Yvoire disappeared. Boat speed vanished with it and, one by one, the rest of the fleet drifted to a halt nearby.
The five nautical miles between Yvoire and Rolle took the TF35s almost two hours and 45 minutes to complete.
Aubord added: "You have to accept the situation because there's nothing you can do against the elements. The key is to stay focused all the time on finding the next patch of wind ahead of you and making the best possible use of it. It's really going to be a matter of progressing little by little and taking satisfaction from each small gain."
By the turning mark, Zen Too - lagging behind through the opening half of the race - had navigated best on the patchy conditions to round ahead of Sails of Change 10 and Sails of Change 8. Behind them came X-Wing and Ylliam 17, while Ylliam XII and Realteam Spirit, having ventured furthest left toward the Swiss shoreline, suddenly found themselves at the back of the fleet.
The return leg to Geneva offered no relief.
The breeze remained elusive, placing huge demands on concentration, positioning and tactics. Sails of Change 10 and Realteam Spirit managed to find pressure in the middle of the lake near Yvoire and moved back into the lead while much of the fleet remained stranded closer to the Swiss shore.
Then, after sunset, the race shifted again. Ylliam 17 found a narrow band of pressure near Crans and then another off Coppet. In a race decided almost entirely by microscopic gains, those small puffs were enough to launch Firmenich's crew back into contention alongside Sails of Change 10 and Realteam Spirit.
More than 10 hours after the start, the TF35s finally approached the finish in Geneva under darkness.
At 23:46, Ylliam 17 appeared to have sealed victory ahead of Sails of Change 10. But in a final twist both boats initially approached the wrong side of the finish line and failed to complete the course correctly. Realteam Spirit spotted the error unfolding ahead of them and briefly threatened to steal the race before Ylliam 17 recovered to cross the line officially and secure victory, with Realteam Spirit taking second ahead of Sails of Change 10.
In the overall Genève-Rolle-Genève standings, Nicolas Grange's D35 Okalys claimed overall line honours, while much of the 200-boat fleet continued to race deep into the night.
Final TF35 Genève-Rolle-Genève Results:
1. Ylliam 17 - 10:16:48
2. Realteam Spirit - 10:16:57
3. Sails of Change 10 - 10:16:59
4. Ylliam XII - Comptoir Immobilier - 10:37:31
5. X - Wing - 10:43:32
6. Sails of Change 8 - 10:44:33
7. Zen Too - DNF