This year, as sailors with LUC Voile and CVV, we joined forces to put together a strong and motivated all-female crew to compete in the 2022 Women’s Cup. The team includes Laurie Zbinden, Zoé Daguin, Lorine Robert, and Belinda Supplicy.

In late April 2022, we went to the Tenero Sports Center for a J70 training camp to hone our skills. We learned a great deal, surrounded by expert coaches and enthusiastic participants. We’re a little proud to say that during the SSLA simulation, we sailed six races and finished these training regattas in first place.

The weekend of Friday, May 13, through Sunday, May 15, is D-Day—the Women’s Cup! We’re super motivated, pumped up, and confident thanks to our training and all the advice we’ve gathered.

On Thursday, May 12, after spending some time finding the right spot, we took the opportunity to practice on beautiful Lake Biel. The conditions were perfect for ironing out a few final details. We’re ready!

On Friday, there was no wind. But it finally picked up toward the end of the day, allowing us to race three heats. In fact, our dear president, Hubert Telfser, came to cheer us on that day.

On Saturday, the day starts with a chat, followed by some sunbathing, ping-pong, and work for our respective jobs. We end up playing three sets anyway.

On Sunday, just like the previous days, it took a while for the wind to pick up, but it eventually allowed us to complete two races before the end of the competition.

In the final standings, we tied with the 16th-place team. Our takeaway: We held our own in the few races we were able to complete in this competition, where the level of competition has also been rising over the years. We’re very proud of ourselves and managed to prove our worth. We’ll do even better next time!

In conclusion, we had a wonderful time. Our team was the very picture of motivation and good spirits. We’d like to thank everyone who supported, coached, and motivated us. A big thank you to Maureen Nadal and Tara Tosic for sailing with us. It was a pleasure to carry out this project with you. Thank you also to Femke Hurtak for your determination—and above all, please take care of yourself. Thank you to the CVVT for the fantastic J70. Thank you, everyone.

Stay tuned for the next episode!

The Team.