Lake Geneva’s most spectacular and razor-sharp monohulls dominated the race in real time. But it was the venerable 6.5m SI Ondine, skippered by Christian Monachon, that won the race on corrected time.
Geneva, August 27, 2023 – The Syz Translémanique en Solitaire is the most demanding race on Lake Geneva. It takes the best racers around the lake, departing from the Société Nautique de Genève via the Vieux Rhône. The special feature of this race is that it is run on compensated time, based on a calculation that allows different boats to sail on equal terms. It’s when the last competitor finishes that the calculations are made and the “real” winner is revealed. But this year, there was a surprise: it was a yacht built in 1932, the 6.5m SI Ondine, skippered by Christian Monachon, which took victory after 17h09’22” of racing in difficult and very wet conditions.
” It’s a very nice surprise for me,” says the skipper of Vevey – La Tour. ” My race got off to a bad start as I cracked a rib shortly after the start. Then the conditions were difficult and very uncertain throughout the regatta. But I had a lot of fun from start to finish. On the return journey, everything went perfectly for me. I had an excellent feeling and managed the transitions between weather systems well. .
The winning yacht, Ondine, is part of the 6.5m SI class, which was popular at the beginning of the 20th century and is still going strong. Built in Arcachon in 1932 to Camatte designs, Ondine is meticulously maintained by its owner, who has been racing aboard since 1999. ” I’m 38 years old and my father took me aboard when I was three,” he says. ” It’s a very simple sailboat, low on the water, with no cabin and providing magnificent sensations. ”
Monachon leads an armada of Surprises, led by last year’s winner Cédric Pochelon. The Surprises confirm that they are still the king of the Syz Translémanique en Solitaire: 21 of them are in the top 25, illustrating the intensity of their “race within the race”. Pochelon leads Fred Moura by 1’30 and Nicolas Fröhlich. The first woman in Surprise, Zoé Daguin, came 9th overall.
This fiftieth edition of the Syz Translémanique en Solitaire will be remembered by the 135 participants as an intense and very wet regatta. The race was marked by a late-morning blow on Saturday, which shook things up and caused some damage, including the dismasting of Psaros 33 Petrel, skippered by Arnaud Gavairon.
François Thorrens, at the helm of Psaros 40 Cellmen Ardentis, was the first to cross the finish line after 12:48’54” hours of racing, 15 seconds ahead of Philippe Seguret, skipper of Pro Yachting, and Guillaume Rigot aboard MSC.
The first woman to cross the finish line, Justine Mettraux, came seventh, 26 minutes after the winner. The champion, who is actively preparing for the next Vendée Globe, appreciated the quality of the regatta while acknowledging that “ conditions were highly irregular and difficult to predict. But I’m very happy to have sailed on Lake Geneva again, and I think it’s great to see how much interest there is in this regatta, with 150 entries. .
With 33 competitors dropping out, 102 yachts finished in the rankings, a remarkable achievement given the conditions on Lake Geneva. ” All the competitors deserve a big tip of the hat. They showed great courage and had a very powerful experience. “said Manuel Schmidt, the new Chairman of the Organizing Committee. ” The regatta went very well and was a great success, thanks to the whole team who helped organize it. I would particularly like to pay tribute to the volunteers, who did a fantastic job day and night. A big thank you also to the SNG security team and the rescue companies, who guarantee the safety of the competitors. .