Julien Firmenich’s Ylliam 17 claimed victory this weekend at the opening event of the 2025 TF35 season in Nyon, marking their first-ever regatta win since joining the fleet in 2023. Sailing alongside Firmenich were tactician Guillaume Rol and crew members Ed Powys, Stewart Dodson, Matthieu Ravussin, and Nelson Mettraux.
“Winning the first race of the first Grand Prix of the season brought us a lot of joy,” explained helm Firmenich. “We’d been chasing that victory ever since we joined the circuit. We were pretty consistent throughout the weekend, and that’s what allowed us to win the Grand Prix. It came as a surprise, but we’re absolutely delighted”.
After two days of patchy, unpredictable breeze, Sunday offered a more promising outlook on Lake Geneva, with a light but workable 5–7 knot southwesterly filling in shortly after the morning skippers’ briefing. The goal for the day was clear: get as many races on the board as possible.
In the opening race of the day—race four of the series—the two Ylliam boats set the tone. Sailing cleanly and confidently, they led from start to finish. On the final run, Ylliam 17 found just enough pressure to ease ahead of Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier and take their second win of the weekend.
In race five, the fleet split early, with Ylliam 17, Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier, and X-WING heading left, while the rest opted for the favoured right. At the windward gate, Zen Too and Sails of Change 8 emerged from the right in the lead, followed by Sails of Change 10, with a clear gap to the rest of the fleet.
On the second beat, Loïc Forestier at the helm of Zen Too looked comfortable in front until an issue onboard forced them off the foils, allowing Yann Guichard on Sails of Change 8 to overtake and claim the win. Forestier managed to recover for second place, with Ylliam 17 securing a solid third.
With the breeze softening again, race six was started but quickly abandoned. The race committee moved the course further up the lake, closer to Nyon, in search of more stable air. When race six eventually got underway, the opening beat saw the fleet tightly bunched. Downwind, Ylliam 17 and Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier pulled ahead, with Zen Too close behind. But a shift on the second beat caught out the boats that had committed to the left—Zen Too, Sails of Change 10, and X-WING. The race was shortened at the second windward gate, with Ylliam XII taking the final bullet of the regatta.
Across the six races sailed this weekend, nearly every team won a race but also suffered setbacks—a reflection of how competitive and evenly matched the fleet has become.
With two race wins and 10 points overall, Ylliam 17 are the well-deserved winners of the TF35 Nyon Grand Prix. Just two points behind, Bertrand Demole’s Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier took second, while Guichard’s Sails of Change 8 finished third as the most consistent team, with four third-place results. Guy de Picciotto’s Zen Too placed fourth, while Duncan Späth at the helm of Sails of Change 10 and newcomer Marco Favale steering X-WING ended the weekend tied on points in fifth and sixth.
Racing resumes in two weeks’ time at the Mies Grand Prix, which will take place either side of the Genève–Rolle–Genève long-distance race.
“We could feel that people in the fleet were talking about Ylliam 17, that they were watching us, so we had the sense we were doing things the right way. But you’re never sure if you’ll be able to turn that into results on the racecourse — especially with such variable conditions and such an unstable breeze. Huge credit to our tactician, Guillaume Rol, who’s really matured over the winter and is sailing incredibly well.”
Julien Firmenich, helm Ylliam 17
To find our more about the TF35 visit www.tf35.org.
About the TF35 boat
Compared to its predecessors, the TF35 has been designed with the ambitious brief to offer top-level foiling to a wider audience of sailors. With earlier take-off speeds, guaranteed foiling upwind and downwind and a fully automatic flight control system. The TF35 uses the latest in foiling technology, both to improve performance and simplify high-speed foiling while making it easier to race.
TF35 TROPHY : CALENDAR 2025
23 – 25 May : Nyon Grand Prix, Société Nautique de Nyon, Switzerland
6 and 8 June : Mies Grand Prix, Mies, Switzerland
7 June : Genève-Rolle-Genève, Yacht Club de Genève, Switzerland
14 June : Bol d’Or du Léman, Société Nautique de Genève, Switzerland
11 – 13 September : Mailly Grand Prix, Club Nautique de Versoix, Switzerland
26 – 28 September : Crans Grand Prix, Club Nautique de Crans, Switzerland
10 – 12 October : Genève Grand Prix, Société Nautique de Genève, Switzerland
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