Aina Bauza and Axelle Pillain kick off their offshore season with sights set on the Transat Café L’Or 2025

Sailor Aina Bauza and her French co-skipper Axelle Pillain have begun their training and racing season in Class40, with their sights set on the prestigious Transat Café L’Or 2025. This ambitious project has been made possible thanks to the Cap Pour Elles 2025 grant, which has allowed them to secure the support of Engie and cover 35% of the budget needed to launch the campaign aboard the Grand Rhino.

The duo’s racing calendar includes some of the most demanding events on the ocean racing circuit:

• Next week, they will debut in the ArMen Race, a coastal regatta of approximately 300 nautical miles that rounds the Ar Men lighthouse, passing by Belle-Île and the island of Yeu.

• They will also take part in the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race, held on July 26. In its centenary edition, this iconic 695-nautical-mile race will start in Cowes (Isle of Wight) and finish in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France.

• To complete their preparation circuit, in September they will compete in the Race Malouine, a coastal race that is part of the French offshore sailing calendar.

Bauza and Pillain will spend many hours sailing together to fully prepare for their biggest challenge yet: the Transat Café L’Or 2025, a double-handed transatlantic race departing from Le Havre on October 26 and finishing in Fort-de-France, Martinique. This race, heir to the Transat Jacques Vabre, is one of the most prestigious events on the international calendar.

While they train, prepare the boat and compete, they are still looking for a main sponsor to help complete the budget necessary to face this demanding season with confidence. Their project not only represents a high-level sporting challenge but also serves as a powerful example of international collaboration and female empowerment in offshore sailing.