It’s an individual victory, but also the image of Switzerland’s ocean racing renaissance behind Mathis Bourgnon’s dazzling smile. Thirty years after his father Yvan, the man from Lausanne was the first to kiss the pontoon in Guadeloupe. For 13 days and 17 hours, he held on to the very fast flying proto of Frenchman BenoĂźt Marie, beating him to the punch in the final miles. A stubborn, tenacious, superb success.
By qualifying seven competitors (three in protos and four in series), the young Swiss sailors in the Mini Transat demonstrated the country’s historic enthusiasm for ocean racing. With four out of seven sailors in the top ten – two in protos (Mathis Bourgnon, Felix Oberle) and two in series (Joshua Schopfer, Alicia Pfyffer) – Switzerland now ranks among the nations that really count on the starting lines.
This breath of fresh air is complemented by the world distinction of Justine Mettraux, crowned Rolex Female World Sailor of the Year. The Genevan joins Charlie Dalin and Team New Zealand in the firmament of the World Sailing Awards. History, again…
Everywhere, the little land of no sea marks the seas with its wake. The results are already leaving indelible marks: Justine Mettraux in the VendĂ©e Globe, Mathis Bourgnon in the Mini Transat, Renaud “Isidore” Stitelmann in the Mini Globe Race.
And behind them, a string of hopefuls is already pushing to the door. Alan Roura, Simon Koster and Ălodie Mettraux are supporting this momentum. Swiss Offshore Racing is now one of those ground-breaking ventures that give birth to careers.
In 2025, Switzerland is thinking big – and rightly so.