It’s a well-known fact that the Southern Ocean doesn’t always let everyone through, as Dominique Wavre and Bernard Stamm have just experienced the hard way. Temenos II saw its hopes of finishing the race vanish in a fraction of a second when it broke its keel head.

Luckily, Wavre was able to save his boat and make it to the Kerguelen Islands safely. Stamm, however, lived through a genuine nightmare on the same islands when his boat ran aground as he was attempting to moor up to a buoy in order to repair damage to the rudder bearings.

Put back afloat with the help of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands base personnel,

The people who
make the «Bol d’Or»
Philippe Jeanneret

Well known on TV as the TSR’s weatherman, Philippe Jeanneret is perhaps a little less renowned as a sailing enthusiast.

The man who has been predicting the weather
on a virtually daily basis for almost twenty years is
also a seasoned sailor who has raced on almost
everything that floats,
on Lake Geneva and elsewhere.

With a very eclectic sailing history, on boats ranging
from totally basic to ultra-advanced, with buddies or world-class professionals, Philippe says he simply
likes to sail on any platform
and at any level.

From Vauriens to kiteboards by way of sailboards, Solings, 5.5 mRs and Farr 40s, he has rarely-equalled local and international experience.

Philippe joined the TSR at the end of the 80s, selling himself on the strength of his sailing and amateur theatre experience. «In those days, weather presenters were given three days of training.

Then we were sent straight to the front,» he recalls. Not completely satisfied with this somewhat basic approach, he spent his free time improving his knowledge on the subject and getting to know respected meteorologists such as Lionel Fontannaz, Pierre Eckert and Bernard Dunand.

This effort was quickly recognized and his colleagues

also subsequently received more substantial training from Météo Suisse, «with undeniably positive on-air results!»

Today, Philippe Jeanneret is regularly hired as a weather consultant for crews and event organisers. «As a regatta racer, I know what sailors go through and that’s a plus. My sailing experience helps me to build a bridge between reality and forecasting,» he says.

During the last two Bol d’Or Mirabaud regattas, Philippe was in charge of weather forecasting for Alinghi until a few minutes before the warning signal, as per the rules.

Even if he appreciates the job, he does regret a little not being able to participate. He intends to return to the starting line however as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

The «Bol d’Or»
racing boats Mirabaud
The Mirabaud LX

With a reputation as an incubator for innovations,
the Lake Geneva sailing scene has always been admired
for its audacity and inventions.

From the first multihulls that were specially designed
for the lake to the famous ladder skiffs, local sailors have never stopped building the most outlandish devices with
the single goal of winning the Bol d’Or.

In this fertile context, Thomas Jundt and his associates Eric Gobet and Antoine Ravonel have fundamentally revamped the concept of a sailboat. Long-time adepts of the
Australian 18-footer, the Geneva trio had been trying
for some time to make their boat more competitive in the capricious Lake Geneva breezes.

It was while observing foil-equipped Moths (single-handed centreboard boats of a few dozen kilos in weight) become