This innovative project is led by Aina Bauza (29 years old, Spanish) and Sasha Laniece (31 years old, French), who decided to join forces after competing for several years in the Mini 6.50 ocean class. Both share the same concern about the lack of women in this male-dominated sport and have seen the need to create opportunities that boost female participation in sailing.
Only 1 in 10 sailors in major offshore sailing competitions are women. In the 2023 Mini Transat 6.5, 16.7% of the participants were women. In the 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre, female participation fell to 9.4%. In the 2022 Route du Rhum regatta, only 5.1% of the sailors were women. Only 23% of federative sailing licenses in Spain belong to women. Les Déferlantes: two boats and an extensive competition program.
Les Déferlantes has a clear mission: to bring women to the top of ocean sailing. The team has two main programs:
Performance Team (Class 40): Aina and Sasha will compete in the regattas of the Class 40 circuit, highlighting their participation in the historic Transat Jacques Vabre 2025, which each year brings together the best ocean sailors in the world. The Class 40 is a 12 meter sailboat, which becomes the appropriate category after the Mini 6.5 and before the Imoca 60.
Mini Performance Program (Mini 6.50): The team will select and prepare young sailors to compete in the Mini Transat 2027, the objective is to give them the opportunity to advance towards professional ocean sailing, with the goal that they can aspire to compete in regattas most important in the world in the future. The Mini 6.50 is the initial category of ocean sailing, where the great sailors are trained and the previous step of the following categories.
These are only the first steps of a team whose ultimate goal is to compete in the legendary Vendée Globe, in which Aina aspires to become the first Spanish woman to complete the solo, non-stop trip around the world in 2032.
A European tour to inspire future sailors
Les Déferlantes not only seeks to succeed in competitions, but also to inspire future generations. In 2026, the team will launch the 1st European Women Sailing Tour, a tour with 15 stops in ports in the main coastal cities of Europe. This tour aims to empower more than 3,000 high school girls, showing them that it is possible to pursue any type of professional career, even if it is in areas where the percentage of women is not very high.
The team is looking for partners to start sailing in 2025
With a complete racing calendar and detailed planning for the next 3 years, Les Déferlantes is already underway and the team is looking for other partners to join the project. Les Déferlantes Sailing Team is looking for companies that align with the project’s objectives to create a joint program that helps spread the message.
With a focus on competition, sustainability and equality, the project has the potential to stand out at sea and inspire thousands of girls and women around the world. The team is preparing to make history, paving the way towards greater female participation in different areas.
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