Men overboard, dismasting, sunken sailboats
It was no surprise to anyone. Météo Suisse had forecast a very strong gale on Lake Geneva at 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 16, 2019. And that's exactly what happened. After a slight south-west start, then a very pleasant early afternoon, the sky fell on the competitors' heads, with peak winds of 50 knots, hail, zero visibility... Gusts of 60 knots were even recorded at Le Bouveret.
Loris von Siebenthal
Thus, shortly after 5 p.m., the Swiss lake was equipped with distress flares. However, the organisation has little data on the damage caused, as it explains. "Everyone wants to benefit from precise statistics: men overboard, dismasts, sunken sailboats... These statistics do not exist: competitors do not necessarily announce their small and big miseries, dismasted sailboats sometimes return to port without shouting it on the roofs. What we know for sure is that there are 212 abandons?; rumour has it that there are about 40 dismasts and sailmakers will have their hands full on planche?!"
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Several sailboats have also capsized or sunk: the Toucans Baloo and Ex-Psaros. Realteam, one of the race's favourites, dismasted while five M2s capsized. Finally, the Libera Principessa capsized to the bottom, and the sailboat and its crew were easily recovered.
Several crew members also fell into the water, but were quickly recovered by the security teams.
Loris von Siebenthal
A strong sense of the sea
According to the President of the Organising Committee Rodolphe Gautier, the participants showed an exceptional seaworthiness, which explains the limited number of "human" incidents.
"Weather Switzerland predicted the situation very accurately and the information was transmitted to the competitors. So people were ready when the gale hit and they handled the situation well. In the most extreme situations, they also followed the instructions. For its part, the monitoring system worked well and the volunteers in charge of this area did their work with determination, without being overwhelmed. I give them all a big hat trick."
Loris von Siebenthal
Victory of Ladycat Powered by Spindrift Racing
Ladycat Powered by Spindrift Racing dominated most of the race, crossing the Barge du Bouveret in the lead, bravely managing the tobacco blow (despite a mainsail blocked at the masthead) and controlling his opponents until the finish line, crossed after 10 h 36' 21'.
Storm on the Bol d'Or in pictures
Loris von Siebenthal
Nicolas Jutzi
Loris von Siebenthal
Loris von Siebenthal
Loris von Siebenthal
Loris von Siebenthal
Loris von Siebenthal
Loris von Siebenthal
Nicolas Jutzi
