Mies Grand Prix

A Barometer Named Mies

Three days, six crews, one body of water: from 29 to 31 May 2026, Lake Geneva becomes once again the open-air laboratory of foiling. The Mies Grand Prix, second stop of the TF35 Trophy, comes at exactly the moment when hierarchies take shape—or crack. After the 2025 season locked down by Sails of Change 8, the question burning on the docks is crystal clear: can anyone dethrone Yann Guichard?

The Guichard Era: A Grip Built Season After Season

Since the TF35 class planted its foils on the Petit Lac, the Mies Grand Prix has carried the signature of the same crew. In 2025, Sails of Change 8 wrapped up the championship title before the finale even began, sweeping four stage victories—including Mies. This dominance is no accident: it extends a rise to power that began in 2024, when the Guichard/Bertarelli outfit already displayed clear technical superiority.

For the other five crews, the goal has been the same for two years: break the streak. Mies, with its demanding format, offers the perfect window.

A Hybrid Format That Rewards Versatility

The weekend's originality comes down to one word: the sandwich. Organized by the Chantier Naval de Mies and partner clubs, the programme alternates two radically different styles.

• Friday 29 and Sunday 31 May — Fleet races on constructed courses off Mies. Pure sprints, millimetre-perfect manoeuvres, side-by-side duels.
• Saturday 30 May — The legendary Genève–Rolle–Genève, a long-distance race integrated into the Grand Prix scoring, typically eligible as a "discardable" race (removable from the final score).

Result: impossible to hide behind a single talent. You need to know how to round marks under pressure on Friday, navigate strategically across the entire Petit Lac on Saturday, then return to close combat forty-eight hours after the first gun. Crews built for only one format always pay the price on Sunday evening.

The TF35 Machine: Take Off, Accelerate, Master

These foiling catamarans lift off at 7-8 knots of true wind upwind and 6 knots downwind. Once airborne, the numbers go wild: 18-19 knots upwind, up to 34-35 knots downwind. The automated flight control system stabilizes the platform better than any previous generation of foilers, which tightens the gaps and reduces unforced crashes.

Key Rules for 2026

• Low Point Scoring — Lowest cumulative points wins.
• Discard — Once four races are validated, each team can drop its worst result. A precious joker to erase a breakdown or a poor tactical choice on the long-distance race.
• Crew Weight — Six people aboard, between 450 and 500 kg. Every kilo counts; physiological management is part of performance.
• Critical Components — One-design flight systems cannot be replaced without strict validation. A breakdown on Friday can doom the entire weekend.

The Forces at Play: Six Crews, Six Ambitions

The Favourite

• Sails of Change 8 (SUI 8) — Yann Guichard at the helm, Noé Delpech on tactics, François Morvan in the lineup. Maximum cohesion, ability to exploit the slightest puff to weave out front. The absolute benchmark.

The Challengers

• Ylliam XII – Comptoir Immobilier — Bertrand Demole and Billy Besson. Podium regulars in 2024 and 2025, they're seeking the consistency that would transform their second places into victories.
• ZEN Too — Guy de Picciotto, helmed by Loïc Forestier. Lightning-fast technical progress, fuelled by massive investment in electronic analysis. Just one point off second place at the 2025 Mies GP.
• X-WING — Marco Favale with Manu Dyen aboard. Troublemakers from their first campaign in 2025, they now have a full season's learning under their belts. 2026 could be their breakthrough year.

The Outsiders

• Sails of Change 10 — Duncan Späth at the controls. Third overall in 2025, proof that the youth of the outfit can stand up to experience.
• Ylliam 17 — Julien Firmenich plays for the honours with ambitions to shake up the established hierarchy.

What's Really at Stake in Mies 2026

Reliability Before Talent

On machines this complex, a breakdown is more destructive than a bad start. The dense calendar leaves little margin for repairs between races. The quality of winter preparation will be readable in Sunday's results.

The Data War

Hull and foils are one-design, but electronics and data analysis remain zones of marginal gain. ZEN Too has bet heavily on this axis. Mies will be the first full-scale crash test to measure whether these investments truly nibble away at the gap to Sails of Change 8.

Lake Geneva as Global Showcase

By attracting professionals from America's Cup campaigns to an inland lake, the Grand Prix confirms Lake Geneva's status as the epicentre of European foiling. The event radiates far beyond the shores of Mies—for sponsors, for the class, for the region.

Find the complete TF35 Trophy 2026 calendar on spencer.club.