The cowbells started early and never really stopped. All weekend they rang out around Lake Geneva, the sound carrying across the water to the athletes racing on board the F50.
In front of a packed Race Stadium, and on a lake that delivered exceptionally light conditions, the Explora Journeys Swiss SailGP Team lived through a home weekend charged with emotion. A first home race win on Saturday. A place in the final decided in a single race on Sunday. Then fourth place in that final.
Geneva confirmed one thing: this team now has what it takes to take on the best.
After three finals this season, the Swiss are no longer simply the team making progress, or closing the gap. They are becoming a team to beat. Doing it here, on their own lake, in front of their own crowd, gives the weekend a weight of its own.
The first event win is still to come. Geneva showed it is now within reach.
Saturday started badly. A missed start in the opening race, and in wind that light, there was no way back. Explora Swiss finished at the back of the fleet.
The second race wiped the slate clean. A dominant start, a lead built in the opening seconds and never once under threat. Sébastien Schneiter and his crew crossed the line first, and the shoreline answered them.
It was the Swiss team's first race win in front of their home crowd.
They followed it with a third place in the last race of the day, and ended Saturday still in contention for the final. On a stretch of water their athletes have known since childhood, the conditions gave nothing away. The courses were short, a hundred metres decided who found the breeze, and a decision taken at the wrong moment could not be undone.
"It didn't start well, but then we bounced back really well as a team and had a good last race again. So yeah, we're fired up, ready for tomorrow. It's going to be very tight on points. So we just have to go race by race and try to win." Sébastien Schneiter, Driver.
Sunday, everything was still to play for. Just two races stood between the Swiss team and a place in the final.
Saturday's lack of wind had reshaped the schedule. At the start of the day, a single point separated the Swiss from their direct rival, New Zealand's Black Foils.
The first race changed nothing. The Swiss finished fifth, and it all came down to the next one.
At the leeward gate, the Black Foils had right of way and chose the left. The Swiss took the other option and headed offshore, where they knew they would find more breeze. It was a reading of the lake that paid off. The Explora Journeys Swiss SailGP Team moved ahead and crossed the line 18.5 seconds clear.
It was exactly the race they needed to win, at exactly the moment they needed to win it.
With 14 points and second place in their group, the Swiss took their place in the final, their third of the season, after Halifax and Portsmouth. In the final, they finished fourth.
Three finals this season, and a first event win still eluding them. But in Geneva, in front of their home crowd and on a lake the team knows by heart, they are no longer far away.
"We made it into the final, despite the obstacles we came up against. It all came down to the last race, the one we absolutely had to win. We kept a cool head, and that is exactly what we will be building on going forward, because it pays off." Maud Jayet, Strategist.
"Three finals in five events. We have two left to go and chase that first Sail Grand Prix win, and to end the season with real momentum before we turn to next year. The team is well on track, and we believe it." Boet Brinkgreve, CEO.
