[chapeau]

They fought hard with very tactical moves during the first five rounds of the championship and no matter how difficult the weather conditions were, the teams sailed with unwavering determination. The Bol d’Or Mirabaud was a perfect example of the teams’ perseverance in light winds, as well as in stronger winds, when a reefing was needed.

Alinghi is currently at the top of the general ranking. Ernesto Bertarelli’s multihull had a fantastic start in the season as Alinghi was the clear winner of the first regatta of the season, The Open de Versoix Nationale Suisse. In as much as 11 regattas, Alinghi won 6 regattas and never stepped down from the podium in the other five races. Realstone Sailing and Zen Too also had constant results that enabled them to maintain their scores at the top of the chart.

Each multihull had its moment of glory: Okalys-Corum won the Grand Prix des Ambassadeurs, Team Sui 9 was the first to pass the finish line at the Bol d’Or Mirabaud and Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier arrived second of the Genève-Rolle-Genève after an intense track race with Alinghi. Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing, sixth in the general ranking, had a remarkable start on the port side at the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, and made a beautiful come back after the Bouveret mark, showing its knowledge of the Lake’s vagaries and the seamless willpower of a united crew.

The second round of the season will open new perspectives for the teams that are currently bringing up the rear. Nothing is written yet as some multihulls depend on different weather conditions, like Tilt, who was very effective in strong wind conditions. Nickel-Romandie.com and Veltigroup will certainly have the opportunity during the summer to fine-tune their strategy and polish their drills, just like Oryx who participates this year in their first Vulcain Trophy.  

Mid-season ranking:

Alinghi
Realstone Sailing
Zen Too
Okalys-Corum
Team Sui 9
Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing
Tilt
Ylliam-Comptoir immobilier
Nickel-romandie.com
Veltigroup
Oryx

[chapeau]The Open de Versoix: a total of 5 rounds
The first round of the day started with optimal wind conditions of 8 knots. Alinghi was the first to pass the buoy, and ended up winning the race. The second round provided an excellent opportunity for Realstone Sailing to demonstrate its tactical skills as well, and hence it won the second round easily.

The Open de Versoix resumed on Sunday June, 9 with very light wind conditions, forcing the Race Committee to look for favorable winds to define the race course. Tilt won the race this time, followed by Realstone Sailing and Alinghi. When the wind picked up again, a reefing was needed and the D35 multihulls sailed away for an athletic round with 20 knots and pouring rain. Tilt, Alinghi, and Zen Too took the lead, leaving behind them Realstone Sailing who narrowly lost the third place, and Team Sui 9 who arrived in 5^th position.

For the general ranking of the Open de Versoix, Realstone Sailing is at the top of the podium, followed by Alinghi and Zen Too. Tilt is 4^th with Team Sui 9, Veltigroup, Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing, Nickel, Okalys-Corum, Oryx, Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier right behind them.

Genève – Rolle – Genève: the mini Bol d’Or
The start of the race was given exactly at 1 p.m. in front of the Geneva Yacht Club. With light wind conditions at the start, the D35s sailed smoothly along with Alinghi taking rapidly the lead. Along with Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier, they distanced all the other multihulls and passed the half-way point of Rolle with a 30 minute lead. On the way back, stronger wind conditions allowed them to rally to the finish line after a race of five hours and twenty-five minutes. On the way back, Team Sui 9 managed an excellent comeback and finished the race in third position. Commenting the race, Ernesto Bertarelli, the owner and skipper of Alinghi stated: “The fact that we have been closely followed by Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier allowed us to stay focused during the entire race and forced us to give the very best of ourselves.”

 Ranking:  Alinghi, Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier, Team Sui 9, Okalys-Corum, Oryx, Nickel, Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing, Realstone Sailing, Veltigroup, Tilt, Zen Too.

[chapeau]For Nicolas Grange, winner of the Grand Prix, «the light wind conditions over the last two days enabled us to bet on a different strategy than the other teams, and this has worked rather well.» Fred Le Peutrec on Zen Too, in second place at the Grand Prix LES AMBASSADEURS and first of the Vulcain Trophy, also highlights that

« wind variations on Geneva lake obliged the team to remain vigilant, persistent and work hard even in the last meters of the regatta.” His teammate Christophe Lassègue, winner of the Bol d’Or on Foncia in 2009 confirms the good spirit on board: «Guy de Picciotto plays an important role on board but also puts us in favorable conditions to perform well.»Alinghi finished sixth of the Grand Prix but is third in the overall rating, followed closely by Realstone and Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing. Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier, Tilt and Nickel will be fighting hard for the 6th place while SUI9, Veltigroup and Oryx close the ranking. The championship remains very open and the next regattas taking place in June 7-8-9 during the Open de Versoix II and the Genève-Rolle, will be very disputed. The key and the most difficult challenge during these regattas will be to be regular throughout the season.

Grand Prix LES AMBASSADEURS results :

1.Okalys-Corum
2. Zen Too
3.Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier
4.Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing
5.Realstone sailing
6.Alinghi
7.Nickel
8.Tilt
9.Veltigroup
10.SUI9
11.Oryx

[chapeau]Today’s sailing has been an exciting battle between the top three: Realstone Sailing, Ladycat and Alinghi. Despite a cloudy sky and a lack of wind until 2 pm, the competitors were sent on the water to sail three fantastic races, the last one in stormy conditions: “To finish the season in 25 knots wind is a real treat! It was magical!” says Jérôme Clerc after having moored his D35 Realstone Sailing at the dock at the Société Nautique de Genève. “We had to win the last race to win the Grand Prix! It was fabulous!”

Realstone Sailing has been throughout the year a training platform for the young sailors from the Regatta Training Center, who showed once again this weekend the extent of their talent. Nine crewmembers were selected early in the season to sail on the Decision 35. Jérôme Clerc pays tribute to his two tacticians, Denis Girardet and Bruno Barbarin who have exchanged that position during the season, as well as the trimmers and Arnaud Psarofaghis and Cedric Schmidt, Bryan Mettraux, the foredeck crew, and the grinders Thierry Wasem, Nils Palmieri and Christian Monachon.

After the last race of the season, Dona Bertarelli is moving up to the third step of the podium: “I am really happy! This is the result of six years of a learning process. I want to thank not only my current crew, but all the women sailors who sailed with me until today. It took us 4 years to win the Bol d’Or Mirabaud and 6 years to get on the podium of the Vulcain Trophy. I’m really proud of our work!”

Ernesto Bertarelli comments on his sister’s performance: “I am very proud of what my sister has achieved. I am very happy that a woman, that is not a professional sailor, has been able to reach the podium. It really is a consecration and this is also the beauty of our sport!”

The day ended with the Prize Giving Ceremony, which took place in the presence of Bernard Fleury, CEO of Vulcain Watches: “The championship has been very promising since the very beginning of the season. We were pleased to share these moments with the sailors with whom we share the same values: excellence, precision and team spirit. And especially the passion that drives us to innovate and go beyond our limits. We look forward to seeing you in 2013!”. Vulcain Watches has offered a watch to the top three skippers of the Vulcain Trophy 2012. The watch is an Aviator Dual-Time Vulcain Trophy 2012, produced in limited edition of 100 copies.

Philippe Cardis – who finished in 4th place – announced officially his retirement from the D35 championship. He said a few words as one of the founders of the D35 class: “I am closing an important chapter of my life. First of all I want to thank my crew. Then I would like to thank my friends Ernesto Bertarelli, Nicolas Grange and Guy de Picciotto, without whom this class would never have existed. One day we sat around a table to set up this project. It was a fantastic adventure and it became a unique class of boats (…). At the end, I wish to pay tribute to Dona Bertarelli, with whom we fought for the third position until the end. We believed we would win but we now have to admit that she was faster and that she was better. I applaud because I’m really impressed how fast she learned to steer this boat!”

Bertrand Favre, the Class Master of the Decision 35, said: “With the final ranking of this year, we can see that the D35 series remains an extremely dynamic class. The top ranking is reachable for newcomers in the series, which is very encouraging for the future!”

See you next year!

Final rankings GP Facchinetti Automobiles

1. Realstone Sailing (22 points)
2. Ladycat (25 points)
3. Alinghi (25 points)
4. Artemis Racing (35 points)
5. Zen Too (38 points)
6. De Rham-Sotheby’s (45 points)
7. Okalys-Corum (56 points)
8. Veltigroup (66 points)
9. Nickel (66 points)

Overall rankings VULCAIN TROPHY 2012 :

1. Realstone Sailing – Jérôme Clerc (8 points)
2. Alinghi – Ernesto Bertarelli (19 points)
3. Ladycat – Dona Bertarelli (25 points)
4. De Rham Sotheby’s – Philippe Cardis (27 points)
5. Artemis Racing – Torbjorn Tornqvist  (34 points)
6. Zen Too – Guy De Picciotto – Fred Le Peutrec (35 points)
7. Okalys-Corum – Nicolas Grange (44 points)
8. Veltigroup  – Marco Simeoni – Boris Lerch (48 points)
9. Nickel – Fred Moura (50 points)

[chapeau]Four races have been sailed in Geneva for the second day of the Grand Prix Facchinetti Automobiles. But sailors and spectators had to wait until 3.30 pm for the wind to make a shy apparition and for the first race to be launched. Weather conditions have then only got better, to the delight of the competitors and the crowd of spectator boats that came to watch the races!

Tonight the standings still show the dominance of Realstone Sailing who remains at the top with 12 points. The youngsters from the Geneva Regatta Training Center, led by Jérôme Clerc – who have already won the championship – want to leave their mark on the championship !

The racing scene has been intense and exciting today. Nicolas Grange and his Okalys Corum team have had a great day with a second place and a win. But Ladycat has been the real star today.

In the duel opposing de Rham Sotheby’s for the third step of the podium in the Vulcain Trophy, Dona Bertarelli’s team takes advantage tonight by standing at the 2nd place in the provisional ranking with 15 points, just ahead of his brother Ernesto Bertarelli on Alinghi (16 points). The crew benefits from the return of Yann Guichard at the tactics. Let’s remind that he has been absent in the fall to compete and win the Multi One Championship 2012 aboard his MOD70 Spindrift. Of course it is still not Philippe Cardis last word on de Rham Sotheby’s. Tomorrow, if conditions permit, six races may still be recorded and change the Vulcain Trophy final rankings!

Provisional ranking after day 2 :
1. Realstone Sailing (12 pts)

2. Ladycat (15 pts)

3. Alinghi (16 pts)

4. Artemis (24 pts)

5. de Rham-Sothebys (28 pts)

6. Okalys (31 pts)

7. Zen Too (31 pts)

8. Nickel (42 pts)

9. Veltigroup (43 pts)

[chapeau]Under a beautiful sky loaded with great clouds the D35 catamarans met in the harbor of Geneva this morning for the last race of the season. Three regattas were sailed in a very variable and shifty southwesterly breeze. During the last race, the wind reached 20 knots and some teams decided to reduce the sails. The show was amazing at the end of the day with a beautiful autumn sunshine!

In this dramatic atmosphere, the racing was intense. Some breakage have to be reported: Veltigroup and Okalys Corum have torn their gennakers. Veltigroup collides with Nickel and gets away with a cracked bow. They decided however to continue to sail for the day.

Realstone Sailing takes the lead from the start of the event, with a second place and two victories. With 4 points, the team led by Jérôme Clerc is closely followed by Alinghi, helmed by Ernesto Bertarelli (7 pts), who easily won the second race of the day. Not far behind, Artemis Racing, skippered by Torbjorn Tornqvist, makes a nice start and gets to the 3^rd step of the provisional podium with 11 pts. The duel between de Rham Sotheby’s (Philippe Cardis) and Ladycat (Dona Bertarelli) for the third step of the podium  of the Vulcain Trophy 2012 is still in the programme, although Zen Too helmed by Fred Le Peutrec has slipped in-between and stands at equal points with de Rham Sotheby’s. A great fight is expected between Zen Too and Artemis Racing for 5th place.

If weather conditions permit, up to 18 races could be sailed in the beautiful nautical stadium of Geneva harbor, shared this weekend with the Moths (Swiss Nationals) and the participants of the Syz & Co Speed ​​Week 2012.

The Grand Prix Facchinetti Automobiles marks the end of the season. A Prize Giving ceremony will be held on Sunday at the Société Nautique de Genève, during which the Vulcain Trophy will be awarded.

Provisional rankings after day 1

1. Realstone Sailing (1-2-1)
2. Alinghi (2-1-4)
3. Artemis (3-6-2)
4. de Rham-Sothebys (7-3-5)
5. Zen Too (5-4-6)
6. Ladycat (8-5-3)
7. Nickel (6-8-7)
8. Okalys (4-9-9)
9. Veltigroup (dnf-7-8)

[chapeau]A weekend to remember at the Yacht Club de Genève: 10 thrilling regattas in 2 days, a lot of action and a great public in a friendly atmosphere. Okalys Corum skipper Nicolas Grange finished the weekend with a victory in front of “his” public: “It was a beautiful weekend and we are extremely happy. We did win two times, we made a second place twice and a third place once. After we made a few mistakes, but we still had great moments.” He continues: “As for the event, and here I speak as a partner of Grange & Cie, I’m really delighted. I think the public had a lot of fun. The atmosphere was excellent during these two days and the public has seen so many races. ‘The races were passionate with a few small incidents: a broken helm on the first day for Okalys Corum, two crewmembers overboard for Alinghi, two days in a row, Artemis Racing missing a buoy after a reorientation of the course… but mostly significant changes in the rankings during the two days: in fact, 6 of the 9 crews climbed at least once on the top step of the podium, and all but Ladycat, end up once last or penultimate of the ranking. Suffice to say that the racing was very hectic!

A beautiful weekend for Zen Too also who finished second in the Grand Prix, with two first places today. Guy de Picciotto says : “We are very happy. It is true that the light winds suit us well. These are conditions that make us forget our lack of training… We can focus on strategy and tactics, rather than physical effort. “As for the victory of the youngsters of the Geneva Regatta Training Center? “I’m really happy for them. They are strong, they are super trained and they really deserved this win! ‘Alinghi finishes in 3rd place in the Grand Prix and occupies the second place in the overall standings of the Vulcain Trophy, presented by Business and Decision. However nothing is decided yet as Ladycat and De Rham Sotheby’s, can also still reach the second place.

This weekend marks another victory of Realstone Sailing. This success allows the young team to already climb on the highest step of the podium of the Vulcain Trophy 2012. Jérôme Clerc and the entire crew of Realstone Sailing, coming from the Geneva Regatta Training Center received a big applause at the Prize Giving. The skipper Jerome Clerc said: “I want to thank all the owners of the D35 class for creating this fantastic series. I also want to thank the owner of our boat, Guy de Picciotto, which is really very supportive of the young generation and allowed us to participate in this great adventure. And finally, I also sincerely thank Esteban Garcia, president of Realstone, without whom our presence in this series would not have been possible!”

And to conclude this 2012 season in style, let’s meet on 12, 13 and 14 October 2012 at the Société Nautique de Genève for the final Grand Prix of the season, the Grand Prix Facchinetti Automobiles !

Ranking Grand Prix Grange & Cie:
1. Realstone Sailing – Jérôme Clerc
2. Zen Too – Guy de Picciotto
3. Alinghi – Ernesto Bertarelli
4. De Rham Sotheby’s – Philippe Cardis
5. Okalys Corum – Nicolas Grange
6. Ladycat – Dona Bertarelli
7. Artemis Racing – Torbjorn Tornqvist
8. Veltigroup – Marco Simeoni – Boris Lerch
9. Nickel – Fred Moura

Provisional Ranking Vulcain Trophy 2012:
1. Realstone Sailing – Jérôme Clerc 7 pts
2. Alinghi – Ernesto Bertarelli 16 pts
3. De Rham Sotheby’s – Philippe Cardis 21 pts
4. Ladycat – Dona Bertarelli 23 pts
5. Zen Too – Guy de Picciotto 30 pts
6. Artemis Racing – Torbjorn Tornqvist 30 pts
7. Okalys Corum – Nicolas Grange 37 pts
8. Veltigroup – Marco Simeoni – Boris Lerch 40 pts
9. Nickel – Fred Moura 41 pts

[chapeau]Beautiful first day of racing for the Grand Prix Grange & Cie which takes place this weekend at the Yacht Club de Genève. The penultimate stage of the Vulcain Trophy, presented by Business & Decision, started in fantastic conditions. Except for a few raindrops in the early morning, a 10-knot wind has been constantly there, however very shifty, which gave a bit of spice to the racing, as for organizers than for the sailors.

The Race Committee has had to restart a new starting procedure in the second race after a major wind shift. From the coast, the public could follow the races. Binoculars were not even needed!

On the water, the atmosphere was tense and very challenging for many competitors. The races were more interesting than ever. Five out of nine competitors have won one regatta today. De Rham Sotheby’s won two races. The second race was won by the host of the Grand Prix Grange & Cie, Nicolas Grange, skipper of Okalys Corum. Realstone Sailing wins the fourth race, while Alinghi takes victory in the last race of the day. Artemis Racing did win the fifth regatta, but just failed to win a second one, because of a mistake (missed a buoy and had to return). See you tomorrow for the second day of the Grand Prix Grange & Cie which promises to be sunny and looks already equally interesting and fun !

Provisional ranking :

1. Realstone Sailing – Jérôme Clerc (11 points)

2. De Rham Sotheby’s – Philippe Cardis (18 points)

3. Okalys Corum – Nicolas Grange (18 points)

4. Zen Too – Guy de Picciotto – Fred Le Peutrec (18 points)

5. Alinghi – Ernesto Bertarelli (19 points)

6. Ladycat – Dona Bertarelli (21 points)

7. Artemis Racing – Torbjorn Tornqvist (25 points)

8. Veltigroup – Marco Simeoni – Boris Lerch (28 points)

9. Nickel – Fred Moura (41 points)

[chapeau]After the Open de Versoix II sailed in very light winds, the sailors involved in the Vulcain Trophy, presented by Business & Decision, are eager to race in stronger winds! In the overall standings, Realstone Sailing is still in the lead (6pts) and could even win the Vulcain Trophy 2012 this weekend at the Grand Prix Grange & Cie, even though a turnaround is still possible.

Alinghi (13pts) led by Ernesto Bertarelli showed his tenacity last week in Versoix by winning the regatta. Ladycat (17pts) helmed by his sister Dona Bertarelli moved up to the third position of the provisional overall ranking, on equal points with de Rham Sotheby’s skippered by Philippe Cardis.

The fight will be tough between these two competitors. Torbjorn Tornqvist’s team on Artemis Racing (23pts) might as well ogle at the podium with a good performance at the final stage on 14-15 October at the Société Nautique de Genève.

Guy de Picciotto’s Zen Too will certainly come back in good shape this weekend with its helmsman Fred Le Peutrec which was awarded second place in the Trophée Clairefontaine a few days ago. Another fight should be interesting too, featuring Nickel with Fred Moura, Okalys Corum with Nicolas Grange and Marco Simeoni’s Veltigroup, helmed by Boris Lerch, all three tied with 32 points. Geneva harbor should host a fantastic spectacle this weekend.

On land, the atmosphere will surely be friendly and fun since the organization promises a race commentator during the whole weekend, spectator boats and many animations on shore!

First start scheduled on Saturday at 11.30!

Overall ranking Vulcain Trophy 2012:

1. Realstone Sailing (6 points)
2. Alinghi (13 points)
3. Ladycat (17 points)
4. De Rham Sotheby’s (17 points)
5. Artemis Racing (23 points)
6. Zen Too (28 points)
7. Nickel (32 points)
8. Okalys Corum (32 points)
9. Veltigroup (32 points)