Grand Prix Beau Rivage Palace D35 fleet win to Artemis

by Paul Cayard on 7 May 2011 Grand Prix Beau Rivage Palace.

Paul Cayard is onboard Artemis Racing and sends this news of their day.

Paul -

Today was the first race in the D-35 fleet for Artemis Racing and we won it.

The wind did not arrive until 1400 so there was just one 20 mile 'long distance race' finishing at Societe Nautique de Genève. The wind was 8-10 knots from the east and we were doing 18 knots downwind under gennaker.

The D-35 is a one design, 35 foot catamaran, raced on Lake Geneva. It is very well endowed with sail area, which is needed in the normally light winds of Lake Geneva. There is a fleet of 12 identical boats containing some great sailors like Michele Desjoyeaux on Foncia, Ernesto Bertarelli on Alinghi.

The D-35 is the 'Ferrari' of sailing on Lake Geneva. With Artemis Racing Chairman Torbjorn Tornqvist's decision to enter the America's Cup, sailing the D-35 in his home town has real appeal.

There are seven events in the season, the Beau Rivage being the first. The 'big' event is the Bol d'Or June 18, in which boats of all types and sizes race around the entire lake. The Bol d'Or is about 100 miles in with the light and fickle winds of the lake, it often is an over night race.

Racing continues tomorrow and Complete results

Paul Cayard website here