On 18th June, the Lausanne team met for the very first launch of its TF35. In a family atmosphere, the crew members acted as guides to present the catamaran to the guests. A look back on a sunny and emotional late afternoon.
Realteam Sailing had been waiting for this event for many weeks. So it was with great joy that the Lausanne team met at the Mies shipyard on Thursday 18th June, at around 4 PM to launch its TF35 for the very first time.
In response to the sanitary measures in force, the big public party initially planned for such an occasion gave way to a more intimate meeting under the sign of joy, bringing together the large Realteam Sailing family. Alongside owner and skipper Esteban Garcia, team manager and co-skipper Jérôme Clerc and their entire team, the directors of the various companies of Realstone Group, the main sponsor of the team, were also in attendance.
While the catamaran was still out of the water, suspended from a crane, the crew members became guides. Everyone was thus able to give explanations to the guests, divided into small groups, as to the specifics of this new jewel of technology. Everyone was curious to discover the TF35, even little Célestine, daughter Jérôme Clerc, who appreciated the trampoline qualities of the boat’s net.
“In the end, it wasn’t so bad this forced break, as we had time to do some good work on the boat,” admitted Jeff Kerleguer, the technical préparateur, in an explanation. When you get a brand new boat, there are obviously a lot of little things to sort out. What has been done on the TF35 over the past three months couldn’t have been done with the schedule that was planned for the 2020 season. As a result, the boat should already be performing better than she would have been. In any case, we hope so!”
Suddenly, at 5:40 PM, the long-awaited big moment arrived. Under the amazed gaze of the team and guests, the crane slowly set the TF35 on the waters of Lake Leman, where it joined a few intrigued ducks.
“After this particular period of confinement, it feels like the sun is coming back,” said Esteban Garcia. Launching the boat is an emotional moment. There’s the whole technical team seeing the fruits of their labour.” Then the founder of Realteam Sailing continued with a touch of humour: “The boat seems to float well, it’s necessary. We’re all very happy to see her shine on the lake.”
The same satisfaction could be heard in the voice of Jérôme Clerc. “Today is a great day,” he said. The boat is in the water after three years of reflection and development. So we’re looking forward to going out on the water!” Which was done the very next day.
