Sailing on the Swiss lakes demands a powerful boat which can fly along in the light airs found there, and the Decision 35 fits this bill, being ready to sail at a weight of just 1200kg (+ a maximum 456 kg of crew) with a downwind sail area of 212m²! A monster of a boat, which doesn’t even need foils to be exciting and give high performance. The 2017 circuit includes eight events, and eight particularly sharp teams. What’s more, the CVs of the crew and the helmsmen are the stuff of dreams, with names you find on all the major racing boats.
A first for Alinghi
Since 2005, the Decision 35 “Alinghi” helmed by Ernesto Bertarelli (two-times America’s Cup winner) has never been further down than second from the Trophy, and has won it 5 times. A dominance in the class which says a lot about the crew and their know-how. And in the first of the season, which took place at SNG (Société Nautique de Genève) in Geneva in mid-May, the record remained unbroken. “Alinghi” won without even needing to take part in the final heat!
Thirteen heats were run over three days of racing, where seven of the eight competitors won at least one heat, while there were only two which never finished last.
Conditions weren’t ideal, however, with winds ranging from 5 to 20 knots, obliging the race committee to insist on one reef being taken in.
The Results:
Alinghi: 34 points
Zen Too: 43 points
Okalys: 49 points
Ylliam Comptoir Immobilier: 49 points
Racing Django: 54 points
Realteam: 54 points
Swisscom: 59 points
Mobimo: 65 points
For more information:
www.d35trophy.ch
