An Epic Bol d'Or…

Once again this year there were almost 500 boats signed up to cover the theoretical 66.5 nautical miles going around Lake Geneva. Theoretical because the lake's erratic winds often mean that crews have to carry out several tacking maneuvers...
10am, and the canon sounded the start in the presence of...practically no wind. In these conditions, the Decision 35s are obviously the quickest, and soon surge ahead of the rest of the pack. The first part of the race was very technical, but the return leg was punctuated with violent storms, and winds gusting up to 30 knots. It was certainly action-packed!
It's the young nineteen year old skipper Sébastien Schneiter from Team Tilt who crossed the line first, ahead of Alinghi 1 skippered by Ernesto Bertarelli. Dona Barterelli on her Spindrift Racing powered Ladycat was third.
Only 18 seconds separated the first two boats, after a 12 hour race, which demonstrates the intensity of this truly exceptional regatta.
All the results are at: www.boldormirabaud.com