Bol d'Or du Leman

123 kilometers, 400 boats, one lake: the Bol d'Or du Léman returns on June 6th

Four hundred hulls lined up between Geneva's jetties, 3,500 crew members all eyeing the same mark at Le Bouveret, and foiling catamarans taking flight at just 7 knots of breeze — the 2026 Bol d'Or du Léman promises a concentrated dose of everything that's made lake sailing pulse for nearly nine decades.

Organized by the Société Nautique de Genève, the race will start on Saturday, June 6th at 10:00 AM, with the race village opening on June 4th. Weekend sailors on Surprises and pros on flying machines share the same waters, the same clock, the same fickle weather. That's the magic of this event.

From 26 boats to 400: a race forged by history

When Pierre Bonnet launched the first edition in 1939, only 26 boats took the start. Ylliam IV completed the 123 km in 23h08 — an eternity by today's standards. Since then, the Bol d'Or has continuously reinvented itself.

• 1982: Altaïr X gave multihulls their first overall victory, upending the hierarchy.
• 1983: the trimaran Holy Smoke won on foils, thirty years before the concept became the norm.
• 2019: 60-knot squalls turned Lake Geneva into a battlefield — dismastings in series, multiple distress calls, a brutal reminder that this lake knows how to bite.

Today, the fleet exceeds 400 boats. The mix of classic monohulls and cutting-edge foilers makes the Bol d'Or a unique event in the global regatta landscape.

The course: Geneva – Le Bouveret – Geneva

The route doesn't change, and that's a good thing. 123 kilometers (66.5 nautical miles) between Geneva's shores and the eastern tip of the lake, round trip. Simple on paper, formidable on the water.

• Two starting lines to handle the fleet density: monohulls will start from Port Tunnel, multihulls and foilers from Tour Carrée.
• The mark at Le Bouveret remains the moment of truth. Gaps widen or vanish there depending on wind shifts — a poorly timed tack and ten minutes of lead can evaporate in a few boat lengths.
• The Aeolus factor: prolonged flat calm or electrical storm, Lake Geneva delivers its slaps without warning. Around 15% of the fleet throws in the towel when conditions turn extreme.

For the TF35s, the challenge is clear: stay airborne. As soon as the catamaran drops back into displacement mode — hulls in the water — the speed advantage vanishes. In favorable conditions, these machines can complete the course in under 6 hours at over 30 knots average.

TF35: the battle at the top

The premier class concentrates most of the sporting tension. The 2026 lineup is deep, and the Bol d'Or represents a major stop on the TF35 Trophy circuit.

Sails of Change 8 — the declared favorite

Yann Guichard and his crew arrive as defending TF35 Trophy champions and recent Bol d'Or winners. The Frenchman makes no secret of his ambitions: "The Bol d'Or is at the very top of our priorities." The goal is clear — back-to-back wins.

Realteam Spirit — the permanent rival

Jérôme Clerc and his Swiss team, winners of the 2024 edition, remain the most dangerous opponents on waters they know by heart. Every confrontation with Sails of Change turns into a duel measured in seconds.

X-WING — the outsider to watch

A newcomer to the circuit, Marco Favale's team compensates for their lack of history with the experience of tactician Nicolas Charbonnier. No pressure, but real potential to play spoiler.

The other contenders

• Sails of Change 10, helmed by Duncan Späth, represents the next generation — 6th overall in 2024, steadily improving with a reshuffled crew.
• Ylliam XII, a faithful regular, perpetuates a historic lineage on Lake Geneva.

Find detailed profiles of all entered boats on spencer.club.

Trophies at stake

The Bol d'Or awards several prizes across categories:

• Challenge Bol d'Or: overall elapsed time classification. Must be won three times in five years to be kept permanently.
• Challenge Bol de Vermeil: first monohull overall.
• Challenge Carbon Bol: first foiler across the line.

Day-by-day schedule

• Thursday, June 4th — Village opens (3:00 PM–8:00 PM), registration confirmation.
• Friday, June 5th — Opening ceremony at 6:00 PM, weather briefing, traditional competitors' paella.
• Saturday, June 6th — Village opens at 9:00 AM. Start at 10:00 AM. Live coverage on giant screens and real-time GPS tracking.
• Sunday, June 7th — Staggered finishes, prize ceremony at 5:00 PM, finish line closes.

An open-air laboratory

Beyond competition, the Bol d'Or serves as a technology showcase. High-performance carbon, membrane sails, automated flight systems on the TF35s: what gets tested here one June weekend often ends up equipping tomorrow's fleets.

The event mobilizes over 150 volunteers and generates economic impact estimated at several million Swiss francs for the Lake Geneva region. The digital setup — meter-by-meter GPS tracking, live commentary — now allows any enthusiast to follow the race from anywhere in the world.

Follow Bol d'Or news and check the complete regatta calendar on spencer.club.