A radical transition from the turmoil of 2019 and the torments of Covid19: this 82nd edition of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud proved calm, pleasant and sunny. The wind remained light and the only tragedies were related to the time of arrival of the Bise. A welcome return to normality! The big winners of the weekend organized by the Cercle de la voile de la Société Nautique de Genève: Ylliam XII Comptoir Immobilier, Raffica and Gaston.
A hard-fought victory for Ylliam XII Comptoir Immobilier
The first six finishers in two minutes; 19 seconds between the winner and the runner-up; catamarans perched on their foils, launched at more than 25 knots in the dark of night just a few metres from the riprap at the finish line: despite the weak wind – apart from the arrival of the winners – we can’t say that this 82nd edition didn’t generate some strong emotions!
The overall winner, Ylliam XII Comptoir Immobilier, needed 12 hours 49 minutes and 27 seconds to finally hear the liberating cannon fire. The TF35 won by 19 seconds over Zen Too, helmed by Fred Le Peutrec, and 25 seconds over Artexplora, helmed by Loïck Peyron.
Alinghi crossed the line 9 seconds later, Realteam 14 seconds later and Spindrift a further 6 seconds later… Suffice to say, the moment was intense. “First night flight, it’s Saint-Exupery,” exclaimed Loïck Peyron at the end of these few minutes of madness, reminding us that these yachts had never sailed at night before.
With these new TF35 catamarans, as well as other spectacular monohulls, the Bol d’Or Mirabaud has clearly entered a new dimension this year.
Bol d’Or Mirabaud 2021 results
Bol de Vermeil: Upheaval in sight
Hungarian Libera Raffica won the Bol de Vermeil after 14 h 07 23” of racing. Holder of the Trophy since 2016, and winner in 2019, he will therefore be a candidate again to win the Trophy for good (it would be his third!) next year.
But watch out, the lines are moving, and the monohull fleet is changing fast!
Thomas Jundt and his hydrofoil QFX led the way for a long time before finishing third, behind Philippe DeWeck’s splendid Luthi 1090 Katana. The three yachts had very different performances and played accordion, taking turns to stand out depending on the angle and strength of the wind at the time.
Behind this fine podium, the usual leaders in the monohull category, led by the Psaros 40 Notre-Dame Du Lac, then the Psaros 33 Carpediem cube and Pétrel, were never able to match the leading trio and finished more than an hour behind.
Other contenders, such as Monofoil Gonet, struggled to break away from the pack in these very light conditions. The fact remains that the landscape is changing, and that the supremacy of Raffica, which remains a “dinosaur” with its twelve crew unstably balanced on the trapeze, will eventually be challenged by more modern sailboats.
Last but not least, let’s mention some individual feats: Cyril Peyrot’s 18-footer, 43rd overall, and the Toucan Jambon Beurre helmed by Philippe Durr, 50th in the fleet, six places ahead of his pal Edouard Kessi on his Tiolu. Hats off to you!
Compensated time rankings: revenge for the “little ones
Benoît-Charles Soreau and his crack team aboard the Melges 32 Gaston won the overall standings on corrected time, ahead of Constantin Pournaras’ LP820 Unanimus and Philippe Seguret’s Luthi 34 Pro Yachting.
Surprise surprise…
The largest fleet in the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, the Surprises (95 entries), was dominated from start to finish by Miss Tick, skippered by Sarah Jaccaud. Thanks to her persistence along the north coast, Miss Tick built up an impressive lead and controlled the regatta from start to finish, even if her lead melted away on Sunday morning. In the end, he won by just 3 minutes over VELASCO, skippered by Arnaud Machado, and a few seconds ahead of Forum EPFL 1 (Yann Payen).
Thunderclap for Grand Surprise
Carolive too, skippered by Fabrice Rigot, scored a major coup in the Grand Surprise category, dominating the race from start to finish and finishing almost three hours ahead of Bernard Borter’s Little Nemo, the class leader. Blue Moon, helmed by Charles André Haenggli, came third.
Time to shine for M2 catamarans
Right from the start of the race, marked by evanescent thermal breezes, the “small” M2 catamarans, accompanied by the “old” D35s Emil One and Zen Too, proved that they are always a force to be reckoned with in light airs, and that they remain formidable yachts.
Emineo, helmed by Olivier de Cocatrix, even crossed the halfway mark in the lead, ahead of Emil One and another M2, Patrimonium. This was quite a coup, as the first TF35 hydrofoil catamaran, Artexplora, was in sixth place.
Off Evian, on the way home, Emineo had a lead of over 15 kilometers over the first TF35. Just then, the long-awaited breeze picked up briefly, allowing the foilers to lengthen their stride. Eaten alive off Thonon, Emineo enjoyed a fine half-day of glory, tarnished by a difficult finish and the winning comeback of its rivals, Degroof Petercam Banque Privée, helmed by class winner Fred Moura, ahead of Swiss Medical Network (Didier Pfister) and Patrimonium (Yannick Preitner).
Other awards…
The Sailing Schools Trophy went to the CNV, the first 100% women’s crew was Caroline Cartier, while the Interclubs Trophy was won by CER – SOFIES.
The Sailing Squad
A loyal partner of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud since 2006, Banque Mirabaud innovated this year with an innovative web series entitled The Sailing Squad. Five hand-picked young international talents, coached by double Olympic champion Shirley Robertson, had two days to discover their boat, a Psaros 33, and then compete in the regatta, not to mention a host of other surprises.
Click here for more information
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
Rodolphe Gautier, president of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud Organizing Committee since 2015, has passed the torch to Yann Petremand. Over the course of “his” six editions, he has weathered the blow of 2019, suffered the Covid19 pandemic and the cancellation of the 2020 edition, and mastered many other twists and turns with brio. Rodolphe Gautier put together a competent, close-knit team, led by Laurence Zanon, which enabled him to experience the race from the inside as a competitor at the highest level, aboard his M1 Safram catamaran. It has accompanied the digitization of the event, contributed to the professionalization of the race organization, introduced a festive dimension appreciated by all, and enabled the Bol d’Or Mirabaud to take a giant step forward and earn the title of the world’s leading regatta contested on a closed course.
Thank you, Mr. President!
