On June 19, the start of the sailing tour of Caledonia, the Groupama Race 2022, will be given, organized by the Cercle Nautique Calédonien and the Groupama Pacifique. 21 boats are involved in this adventure, and among them, a boat with a crew made up entirely of women.
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Published on June 10, 2022 at 11:45 a.m.,
updated on June 10, 2022 at 12:07 p.m.
Records broken for this 7th edition of the Groupama Race with 17 Caledonian boats engaged and also the number of participants. They will be 28 women in the adventure. This is more than in 2018 and more than previous editions. Among them, Dove Girls Challenge repeat offense with a 100% female crew.
Christine Gaillard is number 1, she takes care of everything that happens at the front of the boat.“He’s the person who takes care of preparing the sails forward, trimming them and when changing tack from side to side, in partnership with the girls aft.”
The aim of the Défi des Filles association is to promote women’s sailing. In 2018, a first female crew was already formed. “It went so well that we decided to renew the operation for 2022” explains Christine Gaillard.
The Groupama Race is a demanding race that requires a lot of energy and requires great cohesion. The crew is ready for the challenge. “Participating in the Groupama race is not just a regatta but it’s really a project. We tackle it all together: there is indeed the technical aspect, the food aspect which is very important… in the crew, we are all involved and we hope to complete it in five days maximum” explains Sophie Barbier, in charge of crew communication.
The report by David Sigal, who followed a girls’ training in Nouméa.
The Groupama Race is 650 nautical miles or around 1200 km to cover around the most beautiful lagoon in the world.
