Sailing and racing on Lake Geneva

A lake made for sailing

Lake Geneva divides into three basins: the Petit-Lac, narrow, between Geneva and the Promenthoux – Yvoire narrows; the Grand-Lac, the wide, deep central part; and the Haut-Lac, to the east, at the foot of the Alps, up to the mouth of the Rhône. The major winds — the bise, the south-westerly — cover much of the lake; breezes and thunderstorm winds change from one basin to the next and can strike all at once.

The essentials

• Learn: 41 verified schools and clubs — sailing schools and clubs.
• Race: the racing rules, the lake regulations, the weather and the app — preparing for a regatta.
• The big events: Bol d'Or, Translémanique — major regattas.
• The rules of the road outside racing: who has right of way; and for stopovers: harbours, stopovers and anchorages.

With the Navleman map

The app works out the fastest route using your boat's polar and the forecast wind (“Where to?”), and follows a race from the start line to the finish (Racing).

Open the Lake Geneva map

Articles in this guide

• Sailing schools and clubsWhere to learn, hire or race: schools and clubs all around the lake, sector by sector.
• Preparing for a regattaThe rules that apply, what to check the day before, and how the app tracks the line, the marks and the countdown.
• Major regattasThe lake's two big races, organised by the Société Nautique de Genève, and club regattas all season long.