Eighty women applied. Six got the day with Yoann Richomme's team.
That was the outcome of "Dans leur sillage" (In Their Wake), an initiative launched by Team Paprec on 6 October to encourage women into offshore racing careers. The call for applications drew interest from women of all ages and backgrounds keen to see behind the curtain of the sport. The six chosen were selected not just for enthusiasm but for having concrete plans to break into the industry.
Paprec has backed offshore sailing for more than 20 years, supporting sailors and campaigns while also putting its weight behind projects that push the sport to change. This new scheme sits squarely in that tradition.
The ambitions among the six varied widely. One wants to set up a women's sailing association. Others are eyeing careers in composite materials, nautical events or race boat design.
On Friday 23 October, the six spent the day immersed in the operation alongside Richomme and several members of his crew. They got a look at the range of roles that keep an offshore racing stable running, and plenty of time to ask about the different paths into the industry.
The day didn't end there. It rolled into the NAVIGANTES dinner that evening, organised by Sailorz. The event brings together women active in offshore racing, both on the water and ashore, alongside others working to push gender diversity in the sport forward.
For the six participants, the dinner extended the conversations from earlier in the day and put them in a room with women whose own careers could well shape their next steps.
Romain Ménard, Team Manager of the IMOCA project, framed the thinking behind it simply. "The idea of this call for applications was to open a door into our world so that they could see that women have their place in this industry," he said. "If just one of them manages to bring her project to life, then our objective will have been achieved!"
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