Originally, it was supposed to be a one-off project that was set up when Covid had more or less put the entire planet in lockdown. It was a time when many sporting competitions, including the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, had to be put on hold and everyone had to be patient and wait for better times. Initiated by the Mirabaud Bank, and in partnership with Hublot, The Sailing Squad started as a mini-series featuring predominantly young sailors and was born to promote the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, particularly internationally, while rejuvenating its image and shining a light on the rough diamonds of the sailing world.
Three years later, The Sailing Squad presented its third season, with a new pool of talent under the guidance of their coach Shirley Robertson, double British Olympic champion. What’s more, Mirabaud managed to convince Christian Wahl, the most successful sailor in the history of the competition, to add three young champions to his sailing team for this year’s edition: Eilidh McIntyre, British Olympic 470 champion, Anja von Allmen, world champion from Berne (Gstaad YC) in the ILCA 4, and Laurane Mettraux from Geneva, twice winner of the Tour de France amateur event and member of the Swiss SailGP team.
A Brilliant Victory
The first two, with stars in their eyes at the end of the race, won in an epic fashion, shining in their first Bol d’Or. The third has done what her four brothers and sisters had done before her and that is win the Bol d’Or Mirabaud on Wahl’s boat. “It was long, I’m tired, but we all wanted to win,” she said after the race. “I put a lot of pressure on them to take up the challenge set by my brother Nelson to win the Bol d’Or for myself!”
For his part, Daniel Faigaux, head of sponsorship and events at Mirabaud, is still reveling in the aftermath of the exploit. “There was no racing objective in the initial idea for The Sailing Squad, And then, the second season was a huge success with some very high-level female sailors. The next step was to play at the front, which we were lucky enough to be able to do with Christian Wahl’s D35. One of the great things about Christian is his ability to pass on his knowledge. He has been able to take on young teams twice in a row and lead them to success!”
Will there be a fourth edition? “It is a bit too early to say,” says Faigaux. “What is certain is that there are ideas and a desire to put them into action, but it is a huge process that requires reflection. What is certain is that we want to innovate, not just do the same thing over again. We have reached a peak here. Perhaps this is also the right moment to stop!”
Watch the three episodes of the third season of The Sailing Squad here:
