Trofeo Nova Beach Lounge 2018, CNA MALLORCA © Bernardí Bibiloni / www.bernardibibiloni.com
When I finally catch up with Aina she has just finished a 15 hour trip driving across Spain to get back to Barcelona and the boat she hopes to single-handedly cross the Atlantic in, but not even that journey, which is going to be nothing compared with what’s to come, could wipe the smile of this young woman’s face. She is buzzing with unmitigated excitement as she starts to tell me exactly what it is she is up to at this moment.
Having grown up in Mallorca, she started sailing on her parents’ family boat and it was here that she got the bug for the sea. They were out on the water one day when she spotted a fleet of Optimists and decided that this is what she want to try out. Only eight at the time, her parents, who weren’t overly keen on the idea of her sailing at the time, relented and so she began. However, there was one unfortunate problem, she says she really wasn’t very good.
Undaunted she switched to Lasers and this proved to be the turning point. With sheer will and determination she got better and better and better. It’s a trait that is still so clear to day. In fact, she didn’t jut get better, she started winning things. But there were those around her who would try and quash that enthusiasm, telling her that her wins were luck and not down to her ever improving skills. Again, she was not to be daunted and instead decided to prove the naysayers wrong.
And prove them wrong she did. Not only has she got a Masters Degree in Navigation and Maritime Management, when at one point early in her academic life, her parents thought her studies would suffer due to her passion for sailing, but she has gone on to win the Copa del Rey in 2019, be part of the Spanish national team for 8 seasons including being part of the pre-Olympic team who were aiming to qualify for the 2021 Olympics, come top three in 8 Spanish Nationals and, more recently in January of this year, win the ILCA 6 Balearic Islands Championship.
So what does a young female sailor with all of this experience and winning spirit turn her sights on next? What indeed. It all came about from a chance meeting with a friend a couple of years ago when she was racing her Laser and sleeping in her camper van. In the middle of the night they arrived in from their own doubles off-shore race and organised meeting up for coffee the following day. Only it wasn’t just a coffee that was on offer, the friend was unhappy with their number two in the boat and had sent them packing. So now there was a free space. Checking that she could do a solo watch, which she obviously could, he offered her the spot as part of his off-shore doubles team. 500 miles later and she was a convert. And this is why today we find her preparing not for an off-shore doubles event, but to hopefully qualify for the Mini-Transat 2023.
For those of you who don’t know, though I suspect most of you do, the Mini-Transat was created in 1977 by Bob Salmon to emulate the adventurous spirit of the first transatlantic voyages. Organised every other year since its creation, the Mini-Transat is a single handed race from France via the Canaries, ending up in Guadeloupe. The 24th edition starts on 26th September 2023, and covers 4,000 miles over approximately 30 days of pure endurance. The entrants are not allowed any form of onboard assistance save for safety purposes, which means they have no ability for satellite weather tracking or any other form of communication. Mobile phones are firmly left at the door.
I ask what will be in store for her during this month of relentless sailing and it is a trip of extremes. From baking hot days to freezing cold nights. Crazy trade winds to literally no wind at all. For many years now it has been considered the school of schools when it comes to ocean racing. “Apart from round-the-world races, I don’t know of any other race that is so extraordinary. There are as many possible winners as there are competitors at the start,,” says Jean-Luc Van Den Heede who is best known for his achievements in single-handed sailing and set the current world-record for the westabout circumnavigation. He also holds the record of sailing cape horn 12 times in competitions. By completing the race Aina would become only the 5th Spaniard to achieve it and the 1st Balearic sailor.
And don’t even get me started on the sleep deprivation. Yet somehow when Aina talks about it she is all giggles and smiles. 20 minutes snatched here and there which will amount to around 4 1/5 hours per day. I start to do the maths but the thought of it makes me go numb. Aina says she could probably sleep more, but she’s not in it to just take part, she’s in it to compete, to win!! That’s the spirit! I ask her what she is going to do when she crosses the finish line in Guadeloupe. Sleep she says. At least she can do it on the beach.
I’m curious how her friends and family feel about this crazy feat that she is about to undertake and she says that they cannot be more supportive. In fact many of them are trying to get spots on some of the support vessels that will be doing the crossing and tagging along for the journey. They may not be right next to her, but they will be there in spirit cheering her along the whole way and ready to welcome her with open arms when she hits dry land.
So where is she currently up to in her preparations. Well the boat is out of the yards and currently being rigged in Barcelona. All this despite her original sponsor, who enabled her to buy the boat in the first place, dropping out as they eventually decided to support a male Spanish sailor. This was obviously an incredible blow early on, however, she sat down, weighed up her options and decided, you know what, I’m going to go for it. And it seems the universe has answered her optimism as she says she has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity, support and kindness.
However there is still away to go. In the next six weeks she must still source elements for the boat that are crucial in her being ready to race and qualify. Things such as solar equipment, batteries and safety items. I ask what will happen if she isn’t able to get them. It’s simply not an option she says. She has come this far and she is confident that everything she needs to be able to compete will come together within the time frame.
So what does the future hold after the Mini-Transat, if it’s even possible to contemplate this right now? And she certainly has. Phase 1 is qualifying for the Mini-Transat, then the race itself. After that she hopes to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in the double offshore mode, and then…yep, you guessed it, The Vendee Globe!
There isn’t a huge amount of support for women sailors in Spain. In fact they only make up about 15-20% of the whole sailing community. However, supported by organisations such as The Magenta Project who are a collective of passionate people committed to developing pathways and generating opportunities for women in performance sailing, it seems the tide is turning. Despite the often underwhelming support from elsewhere, Aina is one of the most positive women I have met and I believe wholeheartedly that she will achieve all those goals and more.
As we finish up the interview I ask her what advice she has for any young girls or women who also have a passion for sailing and she says it’s simple. Be confident. Follow your dreams. Do whatever you want. Never give up. Wise words that I think we can all live by! The Islander Team wish Aina all the luck in the world (not that we think she will need it) in qualifying and we cannot wait to follow her race. We will be flying the flag of Mallorca’s Women everywhere!
Should you be interested in learning more about sponsoring Aina please visit www.ainabauza.weboficial.net
By Victoria Pearce
