New challenges for the next ETF Series Act: from the Ocean to the Lake
After competing on the Atlantic Ocean, ETF26 will meet in Switzerland, on Lake Geneva, to participate in the 81st edition of Bol d'Or Mirabaud. It is a regatta, a party and a show at once, spreading from the Société Nautique de Genève to the eastern end of the lake from 13 to 16 June 2019. As the organisation has already announced the great guests of this edition are technology, festivities and sustainable development, not to mention, of course, the winds. In the plural, because the site effects give rise to different winds, which make navigation very technical on the three basins of Lake Geneva: the Small Lake, the Great Lake and the High Lake.
Foiling develops in the Bol d'Or Mirabaud fleet. ETF26 will race in the multihull M2 category and will have as main opponents the Ventilo catamarans. If the wind is not shy like last year, ETF26 have all their chances of stand out in the M2 ranking because they have demonstrated to be able to adapt to all conditions, from low to strong wind. What will make the difference will be the strategy and knowledge of the water body; the Swiss competitors of Luna and Tixwave have an advantage over the other Teams.
Find the Bol d'Or Mirabaud Program here
Myths, realities and (almost) all the secrets of Lake Geneva
Interview with Bernard Vananty, Team Tixwave (SUI)
ETF26: On the lake, there is no wind, myth or reality? Bernard Vananty: I have been participating in the Bol D'Or Mirabaud for 40 years now and, indeed, there have been more light conditions than strong, but we can not say that there is no wind. You must be patient, keep an eye on the water surface constantly and have a bit of luck sometimes! The record of slowness is more than 19 hours and speed record is 5 hours 11 minutes for a D35. For several years, we have not had a Bol d'Or with west wind, I truly hope this is the case on this edition. The game would be very exciting!
ETF26: Three lakes in one and more than a dozen winds: what can ETF Series Teams expect? BV: It is true that navigation is quite technical on Lake Geneva, surrounded by the Jura and the Alps. The three lakes have their own conditions according to the seasons. Apart from the main winds (Bise and West Wind), during good weather, the Small Lake between Geneva and Yvoire often benefits during the day from a thermal wind (Séchard) which, during the recent years, tends to be less constant in strength and direction. At night, on the return, we must play with the nocturnal breezes (Molaine, Joran) which are various and varied according to the weather of the day. Always in good weather conditions, the Great Lake is subjected to thermal wind (Rebat, Vauderon) which is reinforced during the day. The choice between the French side or the Swiss one would be an interesting option! The High Lake is a real headache, and the approach of the Bouveret a test of patience. If the Vaudaire does not blow, we must deal with a bunch of thermal breezes Albrans, Birran, Bisoton, Dézaley, Fraidieu, Jaman!!! I let you choose ... And all this salad varies again if there is a storm (Bornan, Molan) Place your bets…
ETF26: Why the Bol d'Or Mirabaud is an event not to be missed for ETF26? BV: The Bol d'Or has always been a laboratory for innovation in the world of sailing and the spotlights are focused on the new generation of foilers. The proof is that the new boat that will replace the D35 (TF35) is developed and tested on an ETF26 platform and we risk finding some similarities with our flying catamaran signed Absolute Dreamer. If the conditions are favorable for our boats, we can expect good results.