I was delighted and proud to write my first editorial for the Skippers newsletter. I have been part of the Skippers team since the beginning of the year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brice Lechevalier for his energy and friendship. He has enabled me to open a new chapter in my career. Some may call it a return, as I already held this position from 2006 to 2008, but personally I prefer to call it a new era. A lot has changed since then, both in sailing and in journalism.
My predecessor, Quentin Mayerat, ensured that the first Swiss sailing magazine moved with the times: today, a newsletter, digital editions, top video products and social networks complement the traditional printed version. He has worked tirelessly to achieve this. Now that Quentin has decided to set sail, I would like to thank him for his valuable work and wish him all the best: Mast and sheet break and always a hand’s breadth of water under the keel!
The reporters, columnists, testers, correspondents and other experts at Skippers are a strong team. They are the best observers of sailing on both sides of the Saane. Together we will report on the adventures of Swiss sailors.
And right now, in winter, there is a lot to talk about with the Vendée Globe. On board TeamWork Team SNEF, Justine Mettraux is fighting a passionate battle on her way back across the Atlantic. Without her big headsail, at the helm of the “oldest” of the first ten IMOCAs to circumnavigate the globe, the Geneva native remains true to her reputation: she never lets up. Meanwhile, Alan Roura circumnavigated Cape Horn for the third time last Sunday as part of a regatta. Finally, Oliver Heer is not far from Point Nemo. The Swiss fleet is fully assembled. In their own way, they wish us all a great start to the new year.
Pierre-Antoine Preti
Editor-in-Chief