Sails of Change 8 secures fourth regatta and season victory

After two days of frustratingly light winds, the TF35 Crans Grand Prix concluded today with four high-speed foiling races. Consistency proved key as Yann Guichard’s Sails of Change 8, with tactician Noé Delpech and crew Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bruno Mourniac, Adrien Mestre, and Solune Robert, mastered the difficult conditions and sealed victory – their fourth regatta win of the season.

“It’s been a tough three days, with very unstable winds and a tricky racecourse to read. Despite that, we managed to complete six races. We’ve won the Grand Prix and that’s fantastic,” said Guichard.

To capitalise on the forecasted north-easterly, racing started early today with a 10:30 warning signal and a steady 14 knots of breeze.

In race one, the fleet was tightly packed off the start before Guy de Picciotto’s Zen Too broke away to the left on the first downwind, a bold move that lifted them from the mid-fleet into the lead. They never looked back, holding off Sails of Change 8 in second and Marco Favale at the helm of X-Wing in third.

Race two belonged to Sails of Change 10. While most of the fleet stayed right on the run, helm Duncan Späth and tactician Julien D’Ortoli opted for a centreline approach and pulled clear by the leeward gate, finishing ahead of Zen Too and Ylliam 17.

Race three was again a one-two finish for Sails of Change 10 and Zen Too, this time with Sails of Change 8 slipping into third as the wind faded to 6 knots, forcing the race committee to shorten course at the second windward mark.

“Today we really raised our game on the starts. There was a bit more wind, it was very tricky, but several times we managed to find the right moment and the right position. That allowed us to put together some strong races and even win two of them. We’re super happy! It was tough for everyone, the level is very high, and that’s what makes it exciting,” explained D’Ortoli.

“In these conditions, even if you take one or two knocks, you can still come back. That was our strength this weekend: staying sharp and picking off places. And it paid off.”

For the day’s final race, the fleet moved closer to Yvoire on the French shore. There, Sails of Change 8 and Zen Too locked into a match race around the track, with Guichard’s crew clinching the win to secure the overall title and the season title with an event to spare.

“The suspense lasted right up until the final race against Zen Too. It was a great battle that came down to one race — congratulations to Guy and his team,” Guichard added.

The final leaderboard delivered a double podium for Sails of Change: Guichard’s Sails of Change 8 in first and Späth’s Sails of Change 10 in third. The standout performance of the weekend came from Zen Too: a first and three second-place finishes today earned Picciotto’s team second in the Crans Grand Prix and lifted them to third in the overall season standings.

Julien Firmenich’s Ylliam 17 did just enough with a fifth-place finish in Crans to hold onto second in the tour ranking, while X-Wing climbed to fifth and Bertrand Demole’s Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier slipped to sixth.

With the top spot on the tour podium already secured by Sails of Change 8, the focus is on the remaining fleet. Only six points separate second from sixth overall, setting the stage for the finale. The TF35 Trophy season concludes in two weeks at Société Nautique de Genève, where the six teams will fight for the final standings.