Here in Geneva, we are blessed with a beautiful lake to admire, but how many of us have actually been a part of it? For many centuries, sailing was the only way to cross vast, uncharted territories of limitless blue ocean. It has inspired people from the times of the Polynesian sailors who crossed the Pacific, to expeditions led by Captain Cook, storming the Spanish Main, or even Nombre de Dios under Sir Francis Drake. Today, although our lake offers opportunities to sail, I have collected young sailors’ thoughts from all over the world to inspire you to join in sailing’s illustrious history.
What is your favorite place to sail?
“My favourite place to sail is Cannes in France as even though it is far from Geneva the wind is great over there and so is the sailing atmosphere.” – Gabriel Falleti (Switzerland, SNG)
“My favourite place to sail is San Francisco bay. The wind is always consistent and it feels fulfilling with the Golden Gate bridge in the background.” – Lyla (USA, St Francis Yacht Club)
“I personally love sailing in the gulf of Thailand, just off the coast of Chon Buri near our club, the Royal Varuna Yacht Club. The seascape is generally quite calm for the amount of wind. It was started by Rama IX who was a great sailor himself and went to school in Switzerland. He was great at many sports and played music too, and set a good example for us on being active and cultured at the same time.” – Khun (Thailand, Royal Varuna Yacht Club)
“I love sailing in the Lac Léman.” – Lucas (UK, SNG)
“I love sailing in Portsmouth, there are always challenging conditions which help us improve drastically. I have sailed in France once, in a place called Quiberon in Bretagne and that experience can match no other. The waves were huge and the wind was incredibly gusty.” – Tom (UK, Portsmouth)
“I started out in the sailing school in Malmo and have always sailed there. It’s a great place to sail and being between Denmark and Sweden, we always get lots of international races.” – Isak (Sweden, Malmö)
“I’m going to agree with Lyla on this one, the SF bay always has great conditions and a wonderful sailing community.” – Logan (USA, St Francis Yacht Club)
“My favourite place to go sailing is in the Balearic Islands, at Menorca.” – Hector (France, SNG)
How long have you been doing sailing competitions?
“I’ve been doing competitions since I was 13. I first started in the ILCA category then switched one year ago to the J70 boat category.” – Gabriel Falleti (Switzerland, SNG)
“I’ve been racing for 8 years now, since I was 8 years old. For me, races are the most exciting part of sailing.” – Lyla (USA, St Francis Yacht Club)
“I’ve been sailing for just about 5 years now. I really fell in love with it when I was about 11 years old. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” – Khun (Thailand, Royal Varuna Yacht Club)
“I have been sailing for 1 season.” – Lucas (UK, SNG)
“I’ve been doing competitive sailing since I was about six, starting in the Optimist boat. I was brought up in a sailing family, everyone around me has some sort of experience in the sea. My dream is to one day sail in the Olympics.” – Tom (UK, Portsmouth)
“I’ve been doing competitions for 3 years, not so long. But I have always loved sailing and often sailed for fun with my father.” – Isak (Sweden, Malmö)
“I started sailing when my parents took us sailing when I was four. I prefer sailing for fun and surfing.” – Logan (USA, St Francis Yacht Club)
“I’ve been competing in sailing for years.” – Hector (France, SNG)
If there is one thing for other sailors to keep in mind, what would it be?
“Something a sailor should always keep in mind is the evolving directions and strength of the wind. As the wind is always changing angles and in strength specially on the Lac Leman.” – Gabriel Falleti (Switzerland, SNG)
“I think it would really be to enjoy the beauty of sailing, not to be too harsh on your race results and remember that the key is to have fun and always support each other.” – Lyla (USA, St Francis Yacht Club)
“Personally, I think that we should appreciate what nature gives us in terms of watersports and try to be as eco as possible.” – Khun (Thailand, Royal Varuna Yacht Club)
“Watch your head.” – Lucas (UK, SNG)
“It would be to always seek out the challenges, put everything into every practice even when you feel drained.” – Tom (UK, Portsmouth)
“For me, it’s really important to relax and enjoy the thrill of sailing.” – Isak (Sweden, Malmö)
“It’s to always make sure your teammate rolls up the sails and puts them away so you have less work to do! No, just have fun and go faster than everyone else.” – Logan (USA, St Francis Yacht Club)
“Never underestimate the weather.” – Hector (France, SNG)
Written and conducted by: Maximilien Lei (Year 10)
