TF35 Mailly Grand Prix Day 2
by TF35 Trophy 29 Aug 05:44 BST
27-30 August 2026
TF35 Mailly Grand Prix Day 2 © Sailing Energy / TF35
Day two of the TF35 Mailly Grand Prix delivered a mixed bag of results across the fleet, reshuffling the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the regatta. Rising to the top with a two-point lead after a conservative but positive day of racing is Realteam Spirit.
"It was a great day but a difficult start," explained helm Jérôme Clerc. "We had a winch failure which we weren't able to fix during the first two races, so that's not easy for the crew to deal with in terms of stress, because we didn't have the boat at 100 per cent. But we managed to limit the damage and put in two decent races. Then, once Jeff and Fabrice had sorted out the technical problem, we were able to put together two really good races — I think two 2-1s.
"I'm pleased, because since we came back into the championship we'd been struggling a little to rediscover the right routines and the boat speed compared with the competition. So now we're starting to be able to match the boats that are going fast, which is great."
Like yesterday, the fleet was delayed ashore this morning, this time while a series of thunderstorms moved across the lake, bringing periods of heavy rain, gusty winds and occasional lightning. As conditions settled in the early afternoon, the race committee was able to get four races away, with Yann Guichard's Sails of Change 8 the best-performing boat of the day. Its 1-1-3-3 scoreline moved the team into second place overall.
Tactician Noé Delpech explained: "It was a really challenging set of conditions. The wind was from the south-east, so the sea was fairly flat. We had up to nearly 14 knots, so we were moving pretty quickly. There was a huge amount of close racing in the last two races, particularly the final one, with some really intense situations where we came pretty close to giving ourselves a bit of a fright. But it all worked out well, and things fell into place for us each time."
The most excitement came in the penultimate race of the day, which began with both Sails of Change 10 and Ylliam XII - Comptoir Immobilier being called OCS as they blasted over the start line in 13 knots of breeze. Ylliam XII was forced into a TF35 equivalent of a handbrake turn to make the restart.
At the front of the fleet, Realteam Spirit, Sails of Change 8 and Ylliam 17 all went to the favoured right, while Zen Too and X-Wing headed left. At the first cross at the windward gate, however, it was the underdogs Marco Favale's X-Wing who led the fleet, with Zen Too in second.
Downwind, Zen Too was able to stretch her legs and take the lead, but only briefly. X-Wing fought its way back to the front of the pack and held on to the finish to take its first win of the regatta.
"We had a really nice three races; I think we ended up with a 3-1-2, so that's amazing for the team. We are still young in the class and we are learning, but I think everyone enjoyed it today," concluded X-Wing tactician Nicolas Charbonnier.
Today's scoreline lifted X-Wing from seventh to fifth overall, while a difficult day for Ylliam 17 saw the team drop from first to fourth. Ylliam XII and Sails of Change 10 complete the overnight ranking in sixth and seventh respectively.
For the final two days of racing on Lake Geneva, the forecast is looking much more promising, with a return to sunny weather and a steady south-westerly of 12-18 knots expected for the fleet.