by Team Tilt Sailing media
Team Tilt’s preparation is in full swing, ahead of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup which will take place in the Bay of San Francisco in September. The team’s first regatta of the season, « The Pirelli Extreme 40 regatta », was completed successfully with an overall victory. This is very encouraging ahead of the next regattas. In Parallel to the « Décision 35 » and « Ventilo M2 » multihull championships, the team will compete in two additional prestigious events: the « Extreme Sailing Series » with the Extreme 40 multihulls in Istanbul and Porto.
The Team Building, a must for the Team
Matthew Cooper has been following Team Tilt since the beginning of the project, in the autumn 2012, as coach and responsible for the Team Building project. With over twenty years of experience with athletes and industries, including mental coaching in the Alpine skiing World Cup, Matt brings a lot of knowledge and experience in this field.
« I immediately accepted to help the Team » he notes. « They didn’t know each other very well and they had not sailed together ». To rapidly established a complicity among the crew and facilitate the maneuvers on board, Matt organizes Team building days, for instance at the sponsor facilities, the « JIVA Hill Park Hotel ». Through exercises of trust and confidence, communication as well as yoga sessions, he develops the team spirit and works the crew «positive energy ». « Such exercises allow us to know each other better and to anticipate each other’s actions while racing », explains Thomas Mermod, front sails trimmer.
In addition to the Team building events and a weekend in the mountain, Matt Cooper organizes sessions before and after each regatta: « I followed the Team in Portofino for their first races in the Extreme 40 Class, explains Matt Cooper. « The main objective was to help them to rapidly move into racing mode in the morning as well as to recover in the evenings. « They have made tremendous progress since the beginning of this adventure, and the results follow accordingly! »
© Team Tilt Sailing
Francesco de Angelis with Team Tilt in Portofino
Team Tilt celebrated a great victory in the « Extreme 40 Pirelli » regatta in Portofino; an exhibition regatta which allowed the young sailors to compete for the first time on an « Extreme 40 », an impressive and powerful multihull. Four international stars of the world of sailing were invited to sail with the four teams; Team Tilt were lucky to welcome Francesco de Angelis, winner of the « 2000 Louis Vuitton Cup » as skipper of Luna Rossa. The Italian sailor, who worked as tactician during the four days racing, comments on this experience: « I greatly enjoyed sailing in a multihull with Team Tilt. We didn’t have the chance to train very much, but all went very well. The youngsters had a good feel for the boat and were very motivated. There is nothing like participating at many regattas and to sail under pressure to progress: every mistake costs a lot! » Francesco is optimistic for the future of the Team: « Their training programme is impressive and they are surrounded by a great support Team. They must continue to give it all and enjoy it! ».
« Francesco was very committed during the regattas and we have been very lucky to have him on board with us and to benefit from his great experience », concludes the helmsman, Lucien Cujean.
Final results :
1. Team Tilt Sailing (CH) : 22 points
2. Team-Italy Powered by Stig (ITA) : 27 points
3. Next World Energy (FRA) : 37 points
4. Team Trifork (DEN) : 38 points
The first experience of Team Tilt in the « Extreme 40 » Class is positive for the remaining of the season. The Team will have the chance to participate in the Acts 4 and 5 of the Extreme Sailing Series circuit: in Istanbul from the 20th to the 23rd of June and in Porto from the 25th to the 28th of July. This last event, added lately to the training programme, will allow the Team to compete in an additional event before travelling to San Francisco in August.
© Loris von Siebenthal/Team Tilt Sailing
« Francesco was very committed during the regattas and we have been very lucky to have him on board with us and to benefit from his great experience », concludes the helmsman, Lucien Cujean.
Final results :
1. Team Tilt Sailing (CH) : 22 points
2. Team-Italy Powered by Stig (ITA) : 27 points
3. Next World Energy (FRA) : 37 points
4. Team Trifork (DEN) : 38 points
The first experience of Team Tilt in the « Extreme 40 » Class is positive for the remaining of the season. The Team will have the chance to participate in the Acts 4 and 5 of the Extreme Sailing Series circuit: in Istanbul from the 20th to the 23rd of June and in Porto from the 25th to the 28th of July. This last event, added lately to the training programme, will allow the Team to compete in an additional event before travelling to San Francisco in August.
Meet Sébastien Schneiter
Aged seventeen, Sébastien Schneiter is too Young to participate in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, open to competitors aged between 18 and 24 years of age. Alongside his extensive training and racing program in the Laser Radial class, Sébastien is fully dedicated to the team and he is part of the « Décision 35 », « Ventilo M2 » and « Extreme 40 » multihull programs. To be part of Team Tilt’s adventure is a great opportunity for him to acquire valuable experience in multihull: « Sailing with the team allows me to perform in an area that I don’t know very well. I can bring my Laser experience to the Team, as I compete a lot in this class. In addition, I hope to be able to compete in the Youth America’s Cup if it becomes a recurrent event. I would then already have acquired some valuable experience ». Alternatively mainsail trimmer or bowman, Sébastien has also had the opportunity to steer the « Extreme 40 » during some of the exhibition regattas in Portofino: « It’s a very different boat from the ones we usually sail on ! It was really great to steer such boat; I could feel the boat, which actually feels quite heavy at the helm».
Next « rendezvous » on lake Geneva for Sébastien : The « Geneva-Rolle-Geneva race on board the « Décision 35 » and the « Bol d’Or of Neuchâtel » on the M2 multihull.
© Jiva Hill Park Hôtel
Next « rendezvous » on lake Geneva for Sébastien : The « Geneva-Rolle-Geneva race on board the « Décision 35 » and the « Bol d’Or of Neuchâtel » on the M2 multihull.
The Jiva Hill Park Hotel, sponsor of Team Tilt
Just ten minutes away from the Geneva International Airport, the JIVA Hill Park Hotel is, to date, the only five star hotel in the region to propose to his business and leisure clients such a diversity of superior level benefits and relaxing facilities: golf, water skiing or Spa are proposed in the middle of a regional natural park of the « Haut-Jura » region in a private domain of 35 hectares, right in front of the magnificent Mont-Blanc view. This charming hotel reserved for demanding clients has joined the Team Tilt project from the very beginning, in autumn 2012 : « We couldn’t turn down such a project », explains Ian Lundin, president of the Board of Lundin Petroleum, who concluded the sponsoring between JIVA Hill and Team Tilt. « We enjoy supporting sports events; further to Alinghi’s success in the America’s Cup, we wanted to give a chance to those talented Swiss young sailors. This is giving an excellent visibility to the Hotel thanks to the boats who carry our name and logo on Lake Geneva and abroad and thanks to the performances of the Team. It’s a partnership with a young, dynamic and talented team, ready to compete with the best sailors of the world. I personally don’t sail, but I take great joy to follow Team Tilt’s regattas and I’m looking forward to following them all the way to San Francisco. »
© Loris von Siebenthal/Team Tilt Sailing
Upcoming Sailing events
| 18 May | 100 miles de Pentecôte, Estavayer | M2 |
| 19-20 May | Grand Prix d’Estavayer | M2 |
| 25 May | Bol d'Or du Lac de Neuchâtel | M2 |
| 25-26 May | Grand Prix les Ambassadeurs, Société Nautique de Genève | D35 |
| 7-9 June | Open de Versoix II | D35 |
| 8 June | Genève-Rolle-Genève | D35 et M2 |
| 15 June | Bol d'Or Mirabaud | D35 et M2 |
| 20-23 June | Extreme Sailing Series, Acte IV, Istanbul | Extreme 40 |
| 29-30 June | Grand Prix de Genolier, Morges | M2 |
Team Tilt is the Swiss challenger for the Red Bull Youth America's Cup (1-4 September, San Francisco). The Youth America's Cup is reserved for under 25-year-olds and pulls together some of the greatest young talent from around the world. Team Tilt has spent the winter training on Lake Geneva with the D35 catamaran and will continue to prepare for the September event by racing the Vulcain Trophy and some legs of the TeamWork M2 Speed Tour, as well as the Extreme Sailing Series. Team Tilt carries the colours of the Jiva Hill Park Hotel and TAG Heuer. The team represents the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) and is supported by Swiss Sailing.
