2026 International Six Metre European Championship at Société Nautique de Genève - Day 2
by International Six Metre Association 20 Jul 19:15 BST
19-24 July 2026
Jamie Hilton's SUI144 Eau Vive has moved into the overall lead in the Open fleet at the 2026 International Six Metre European Championships at the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) after two more races on the event's second day. In the Classic fleet, Violeta Alvarez on GBR57 Erica has taken the overall lead.
Second in the Open Championship, by two points after four races, is Eric Monnin on SUI100 Duclop, with yesterday's leader - Dieter Schön's IVB145 Momo - in third, a further two points back. In the Classic Championship, in second and just one point adrift of Erica is Louis Heckly's FRA11 Fun, with Reinhard Suhner's SUI45 Mecara third tonight.
The welcome arrival of a seven-knot northerly breeze across the event's northern race area this morning meant that racing could get under way on time at 1100. At start time the wind had built to 9-10 knots, kicking up a slight chop across the lake. Though the breeze was stronger and generally less patchy than yesterday, there were still plenty of shifts for the tacticians to try to anticipate, and picking the right side of the beats was a key decision.
Race 3 of the series saw Jamie Hilton's SUI144 Eau Vive make the best of the first beat to lead around the first windward mark. Hot on his heels, though, was overnight leader Dieter Schön's IVB145 Momo in second, with Loic Forestier's SUI77 Junior in third.
Eau Vive held the lead at the first leeward gate rounding, but it was Eric Monnin on SUI100 Duclop who rounded in second, with Jeremy Thorp's GBR89 Battlecry moving up to third. With the breeze starting to soften during the second half of the course, wind holes began to develop across the course, making the final lap all the more stressful for the leading group.
At the finish, the Eau Vive crew held their nerve to take the win, with Battlecry pipping Duclop for second, as the pair finished at opposite ends of the line.
In the Classic Championship, Andy Postle's GBR33 Nirvana got away cleanly off the line to lead the fleet at the first windward mark, ahead of Reinhard Suhner's SUI45 Mecara in second, and Violeta Alvarez on GBR57 Erica in third. These three spent the entire race in close formation at the front of the fleet, and at the finish it was Nirvana that held on for the win, with Mecara in second, and Erica in third.
Race 4 in the Open Championship saw Duclop lead at the first windward mark, ahead of Foti Lykiardopulo's GRE1 Aera in second, and Momo in third. At the first leeward gate, Aera had taken the lead, with Basil Vasiliou's USA145 Jane Ann moving up into second, and Duclop rounding third. The final lap saw the breeze becoming increasingly light and unstable. At the finish, it was Aera that took the winning gun, ahead of Jane Ann in second, Eau Vive in third, and Duclop in fourth.
In the Classic Championship, the Mecara crew established a huge lead at the first windward mark, rounding more than a minute ahead of Erica in second, and Fun in third. At the finish, Mecara took the well-deserved victory - completing an excellent 2,1 scoreline for the day - with Fun taking second, and Erica third.
The tacticians on the leading boats in the Open and Classic Championships both agreed that the combination of a high-quality fleet and the shifty breezes on Lake Geneva was making their jobs even more difficult than usual.
Allan Terhune from Eau Vive described the day: "It was interesting. More breeze than yesterday, but still a tricky day. We started out with more wind, but it got lighter as the day went on. There were lots of big shifts, lots of opportunities."
Asked about their win in Race 3, Terhune put it down to a good start, good crew work, and some accurate driving by Eau Vive's owner, Jamie Hilton.
"We sailed a really nice race," he said. "Got off the line clean. Had a little split with the pack when we were in some different wind and got around ahead at the first mark. The guys did a good job from there. Jamie crushed it driving the boat, and the whole team made the boat go fast - which made my life easier for sure. I think our mentality has just been to try to be dynamic out there. If you just keep chipping away, you can do all right."
Pablo Iglesias on Erica said the key to their success so far had been staying consistent.
"I think that this is the most important thing in this kind of event," he said. "But today was a really really difficult day to do that. But we are really happy with the job we did today.
"Starting well is very important in this fleet. All the boats are pushing hard. So far, we have been finding good lanes off the startline. But then you have to do the manoeuvres well to keep the speed in these kinds of conditions. Not slowing the boat down is the most important thing."
Racing at the International Six Metre European Championships at the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) on Lake Geneva continues tomorrow, Tuesday, July 20 - with one race scheduled starting at 1100 - and runs through until Friday, July 24.
More information on the event can be found at the official regatta website.