Athena Pathway kicked off the ETF26 circuit last weekend in Ouest-France! Nikki Boniface team coach and main trimmer for this event was proud of the all-female crew that participated in this event despite the little time training together as a team beforehand.
Nikki Boniface's Race Recap:
Leading up to the event the team was really excited, but also very aware that we were down on training time compared to other teams. We fitted in as much practice as possible in the small amount of time we had before racing but our learning curve stayed on a very steep trajectory throughout the racing too. It was great to have the first ever all women’s team onboard the ETF 26 for Athena Pathway. There was a lot of fun onboard – with lots of scary moments as well – the ETF 26 can really shift downwind!
The vibe onboard was great. We had an incredible crew with a wide range of experience including Olympians and Olympic medals. We learnt a lot from each other over the week, with the different styles of sailing and communicating and approaches to the racing. We worked hard to develop the individual roles within the team, managing to build some clear communication loops in the short time we had.
It was super fun onboard lots of giggles – lots of scary moments as well but we laughed our way through them - thankfully!
There was a mixture of conditions across the 4 days of racing. We raced at the bottom of the bay with onshore breeze and waves for the first 3 days, which meant a steep learning curve for the team. It was the first time a lot of the team had sailed a foiling catamaran in waves! The last day saw gusty offshore conditions which meant for fast flat racing and some top speeds. The big learning curve for the team, combined with 20 races over the 4 days meant to it was a big week and everyone travelled home exhausted, having learnt tonnes and ready for more….!
Results ETF26 Ouest-France:
- Teampro
- Enterprises Du Morbihan
- Toroa
- Blueshift Sailing Team
- Live Ocean Racing
- Burecapital
- Lady Team Pro
- Athena Pathway
- Bourgnon's Foily