The opening of the Petit Lac Championship took place this Saturday off the coast of Crans. Organised annually by the Crans Nautical Club, this first regatta of the Lake Geneva season is eagerly awaited by all sailors. And it lived up to everyone’s expectations.
A warm welcome
With its feet in the water and surrounded by greenery under the benevolent gaze of Mont Blanc, the Crans Nautical Club welcomed the 35 crews with a brunch offered by OneSails, a partner of the event. This was a first on the lake and was greatly appreciated by the sailors, who were meeting in person for the first time after the long winter season. What could be better than enjoying this sunny morning? Benjamin “Ben” Flückiger understood this well. Adding conviviality to an event is always a guarantee of success.
At midday, once the festivities were over, it was time for the competitors’ briefing. Xavier Duparc, President of the CNC, and Sylvian Mauron, Director of the Race Committee, presented the day’s regatta. Two starts to follow and a technical course – known as a banana – in the wind axis to be completed three times. A few questions later, the competitors returned to their boats to head for the starting area.
Great starts
Although there seemed to be no wind in the morning, the weather conditions during the day allowed for the establishment of a classic Séchard, the local thermal wind, of 6-8 knots. Perfect conditions for a first race.
At 1:30 p.m., the starting gun sounded for the first race of the season. The 23 competitors in the Grand Parcours set off calmly towards the windward mark. Five minutes later, the smaller boats rushed off on the short course. What a sight to see these veritable sailing cathedrals gliding across the water.
The first strategic options began to take shape, and already the passage of the first buoy off Nyon gave an idea of the upcoming rankings. While some were aiming for victory in real time, others were competing for rankings in their respective series. There was a match within the match, and the buoy passages were often highly contested. The crews manoeuvred perfectly so as not to lose a second.
After three laps, Philippe de Weck’s K2, the 14.20 m Luthi (the maximum size allowed on Lake Geneva), literally flew past the competition, crossing the finish line first after 2 hours and 5 minutes of sailing on the Grand Parcours, more than 10 minutes ahead of the runner-up. In corrected time, the Melges32s were hard to beat and took the top two places on the podium.
On the Petit Parcours, Hans-Peter Bichelmeier’s Melges24 took the victory, both in real time and on corrected time. In the Suprise class, Marius Lanz on Malice, the defending champion, confirmed his position and secured his second consecutive victory in the event.
Curtain call
With the regatta over and the sails lowered, the competitors returned to shore to enjoy a drink together. The prize-giving ceremony then announced the day’s winners and podium finishers.
A big thank you to the OneSails sailmaker in Creux de Genthod for their unique welcome to the competitors.
And also a big thank you to Neil Dodd, DoddsiePhoto.ch, who returns every year to capture the Opening Regatta on camera. You can find the full photo report on his website
