Some students take a gap year to travel when finishing high school. Anaëlle Pattusch is planning a sailing trip, and a rather arduous one at that.

After completing her high school studies in June, Geneva native Anaëlle Pattusch will be moving to Brittany to prepare for a grueling solo transatlantic sailing race, supported by Mirabaud.

The Race

Anaelle will compete in the The Mini-Transat, which takes place every two years, and was created in 1977 by Briton Bob Salmon and is contested over 4,050 nautical miles (7,500 km).

It is a very rigorous race - one where onboard assistance, land and weather routing via satellite, computers and phones are forbidden. To be sure there are safety measures in place, but it is a contest of solo sailors against wind, waves, killer whales and themselves.

The race begins in September of next year, with Pattusch among the youngest participants. Finishing the race will make her the youngest Swiss female to cross the Atlantic ocean solo at a time when she will be only 20.

The race's first leg is from the French coastal town of Les Sables d’Olonne to Santa Cruz de La Palma in the Canary Islands. From there the sailors will commence the 2,700 nautical miles second leg to Saint-François in Guadeloupe.

Elite Women Sailors

With less than ten percent of elite level sailors being women, it is fitting that Mirabaud is announcing its partnership with Pattusch today on International Women’s day, and women sailing at the highest competitive levels is something relatively new.

For example, in 1989-1990, the «Maiden» was the first all-female crew in the Whitbread around the world race. The underfunded team was sailing an older boat which the crew itself had to refurbish, and the effort was not taken very seriously by the sailing cognoscenti. Still, «Maiden» managed to win two legs of the race and come in second in her class, proving that women could compete. 

Today sailing has become one of the rare sports where men and women compete together on equal footing and in the same categories.

Pattusch sums this up perfectly in telling finews.com that «all we want is to fight with the same tools.» 

When it comes to women in business, Mirabaud also says it «walks the talk,» noting that managing partner Camille Vial is also chair of the executive committee of Mirabaud & Cie SA.

Values Aligned

Sailing is clearly an expensive sport, even more so at the elite level, and therefore sponsorship plays a key role from planning, training to actual racing. In Mirabaud, Pattusch found a backer which happens to find sailing aligned with its corporate values. 

Mirabaud sees sailing as more than just sport but also as a forum for bringing talented individuals together, which aligns with its business philosophy. Sponsoring her was a «no-brainer for us given how closely her values mirror our own, such as her passion, independence and, of course, entrepreneurial spirit,» Mirabaud managing partner Nicholas Mirabaud. said 

It is also why Mirabaud has sponsored the Bol d’Or Mirabaud sailing competition, arguably the most prestigious elite fresh water sailing competition, since 2005. 

The Boat

Pattusch and her team have selected a Pogo 3, which is 21 feet in length and built in Brittany, where she will be training at the Lorient Grande Large racing center. 

As Pattusch's main sponsor, Mirabaud is covering the construction and maintenance costs of the boat as well as the technical and athletic training. As part of that, there will also be mental training. 

«We’re delighted to be supporting Anaëlle Pattusch, a young and talented navigator at the very start of her sporting career. There are still too few women in this discipline and through this sponsoring initiative, we are hoping to encourage female careers in this arena,» Nicolas Mirabaud said.

Preparation

Even before she crosses the starting line in The Mini-Transat, Pattusch will need to log 1,000 nautical miles on a predetermined route to Ireland and at least 1,500 racing miles to qualify.

«This two-year preparation in the Mediterranean and Atlantic will enable me to intensively train on my boat, pit myself against my future opponents and earn my place in the race’s production class category,» she explains.

This is on top of the experience she already has. Among other events, the Geneva-born sailor participated in the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, one of the most prestigious fresh water regattas in the world held on Lake Geneva. 

Indeed, she has some high-profile company in her Swiss compatriot Dona Bertarelli who won the Bol d’Or Mirabaud in 2014.

The «Flash»

While The Mini-Transat is a race for solo sailors, Pattusch won’t be completely alone. The namesake and mascot of her boat «Flash le 1042,» will be aboard in the form of a plush toy.

The selection of the mascot reveals a humorous side of  Pattusch as well. «Flash» Slothmore is the rather slow officer at Zootopia’s Department of Mammal Vehicles. 

The race will be good preparation for both the «Flash» boat and mascot, since Pattusch has ambitions to compete in the «Vendee Globe,» a non-stop, solo around the world race. She can get advice from fellow Swiss woman, Justine Mettraux, who is currently preparing for the Vendée Globe 2024.

In Flash le 1042, it looks like Pattusch has a good tool to fight with.