Newsletter – July 2022
The Syz Translémanique en Solitaire is less than a month away!
The 49th edition of the Syz Translémanique en Solitaire will bring together a good hundred racers on a demanding course between Geneva and the Vieux-Rhône, on August 27. The regatta promises to be another great one, with an exceptional line-up, a stunning ambassador and an Organizing Committee that’s more motivated than ever!
Alexia Barrier, shock godmother at the helm of Body & Soul
Alexia Barrier, godmother of the Syz Translémanique en Solitaire 2022, started sailing on the family boat at the age of three! She quickly developed a passion for the sport, clocking up no less than 120,000 nautical miles by the age of 20!
Her ambition and desire to progress led her to single-handed sailing. At the age of 25, she completed her first transatlantic race. At the same time, she sailed with great sailors, including Florence Arthaud and Dennis Conner.
In 2021, she was one of 6 women to take part in the Vendée Globe, finishing the race in 111 days 17 hours and 3 minutes, in 24th position. She is the tenth woman in history to finish the world’s most demanding regatta.
In 2022, she launched The Famous Project, the 100% women’s Jules Verne Trophy, which she hopes to compete in 2024 with an international crew.
In 2010, Alexia Barrier founded the 4MyPlanet association to raise awareness of the need to protect the oceans and nature. The association’s slogan is “In Ocean we trust In Earth we believe”. The sailor uses her boat, renamed 4myplanet, as an ambassador for the association. It not only raises children’s awareness of environmental issues, but also collects scientific data for the study of the oceans.
Body & Soul, more than just a legendary yacht: a saga!
Alexia Barrier will be competing in the Syz Translémanique en Solitaire aboard the Luthi Body & Soul, generously donated by the Bottge family. An opportunity to look back at this formidable saga, which began in the 80s.
“It wasour father Daniel who started the family passion,” says Thierry Bottge. ” At the time, our mother sent me and my brother Didier to the Rudevent sailing camp in Brittany. We loved it. Construction of the first Body & Soul began shortly afterwards; it was the start of a long story, which continues to this day. .
The Body & Soul team is organized as a syndicate, with friends who share ” pleasure, costs, maintenance and, above all, sailing. It’s a loyal, friendly team, committed to the long term. “says Thierry.
The first “Body”, however, causes a lot of trouble for the Bottge family. From the outset, this large molded-wood sailboat suffered from a construction flaw: it was not symmetrical, and generated a cascade of problems.
” After a few years and many trips to the construction site, my father had had enough. René and Olivier Luthi, with whom we had developed a good relationship, convinced us to build a new yacht. That’s how Body & Soul no 2 was born, in 1989. She’s a wonderful sailboat, which we’ve really enjoyed and developed over the years. New keel with a bulb, new carbon mast, deck layout, hull… Everything has been done, as technology has evolved. .
In 2014, the Luthi yard suffered a fire. Three months later, Body & Soul dismasted during a Bol d’Or de Bise, and found themselves at the construction site… The team discovered the Luthi MissTFY, damaged by fire but repairable. It was love at first sight for this Seb Schmidt plan from 2005!
” Olivier Luthi has taken over our “old” Body, which he wants to transform into a cruising sailboat. At the same time, he refurbished MissTFY, and it became Body & Soul no. 3. She’s a wonderful sailboat, very beautiful, relatively easy to sail, and a top performer. An ideal boat for the Translémanique solo race, and I hope Alexia will have a lot of fun aboard her. We’re delighted that she’s sailing on it, and wish her every happiness. .
We surpassed the 100 mark!
Lake Geneva enthusiasts were out in force when registration opened. The first 100 places were reserved in the first week of opening.
More than twenty yachts are on the waiting list. Depending on weather conditions, the regatta may be open to more yachts, but the Committee will make its decision based on the weather files. The persons concerned will be informed by email of their possible acceptance.
Discover the teaser for the 49th edition
The Syz Translémanique en Solitaire kicks off on August 27 at the Société Nautique de Genève!