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TCO25 Upwind by MerConcept
© Jean-Marie Liot / Alea

UpWind by MerConcept, multiplying the multi opportunities for women

Ocean Fifty
23 October 2025 - 10h00
Recognising that high performance offshore Multihull racing has so far offered few opportunities for women to rise up through the ranks, UpWind by MerConcept was created early in 2024 by MercConcept along with founding partners 11 th Hour. The programme has been gaining momentum and competes in the Ocean50 class. Even though their boat isn't the latest generation, Anne-Claire Le Berre and Switzerland’s Élodie-Jane Mettraux will be pushing hard and doing all they can to be in the match.

And so it is the first time an all female duo compete in the Ocean50 division. At MerConcept it was especially obvious that there was a lack of female offshore multihull sailors when they were searching for crew for SVR-Lazartigue. "They realized how difficult it was to find female sailors with the right background to come on board," explains Anne-Claire Le Berre who was a Mini 650 sailor who was previously Technical Director on Sam Davies’ Initiatives Coeur programme . "Hence this desire to develop accessibility to multihulls and ocean racing for women."

Interview : Upwind by Merconcept

 

Clapcich, Le Berre, Mettraux: A Trio in the Spotlight

Anne-Claire LE BERRE - UPWIND BY MERCONCEPT

This new team was born 18 months ago. Louis Giard, team manager, explains: "It's a project that was conceived by MerConcept and proposed to 11th Hour. It aims to promote women in ocean racing with a very comprehensive programme, both at sea and in the teams on land."
Alongside SVR Lazartigue and Macif Santé Prévoyance, the latest addition, UpWind by MerConcept, was born. The term UpWind derives from sailing"into the wind," "a bit like the female sailors who are trying to break into the world of ocean racing," explains Louis Giard.

In April 2024, a call for applications was launched to select female sailors. The initiative was a success: the young team received nearly 120 applications from around the world. "Our idea was to give a chance to women for whom sailing in the Ocean Fifty was unimaginable," continues the team manager. At the end of this selection phase, seven were selected. Among them were Italian Francesca Clapcich, Frenchwoman Anne-Claire Le Berre, and Swiss Elodie-Jane Mettraux.

UPWIND BY MERCONCEPT

The adventure began last year, with several Grand Prix races and a transatlantic race, the Route des Terre-Neuvas (between Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and the Bay of Saint-Brieuc). Since then, Francesca Clapcich chosen initially as skipper has taken the helm of the 11th Hour IMOCA project, and she is on this starting line with Will Harris as co-skipper. At UpWind by MerConcept, Anne-Claire Le took over the helm of the Ocean Fifty with Elodie-Jane Mettraux, younger sister of Justine at her side.

"I'd never sailed a multihull before," explains Anne-Claire. "The Ocean Fifty is exhilarating: it's a very powerful boat with incredible sensations of speed and lightness. It's truly a little go-kart of the seas!" "These are boats that offer fantastic sensations," continues Elodie-Jane. "You can quickly get the hulls flying and reach full speed." While they were fine-tuning their skills on the boat, the two women were getting to know each other. Together, they competed in the MED MAX I Occitanie – Saïdia Resorts and then in the Ocean 50 Grand Prix this season. "It all came very naturally between us; we quickly got along well," says the Swiss sailor. "We complement each other; we really draw on our respective strengths to get the most out of them," continues the Frenchwoman.

The two sailors have an older boat, one which was launched in 2013 and is therefore part of the older generation.
"There's a significant difference between the most recent and the oldest," confides Élodie-Jane. "It's definitely more complicated than for some, but we know we can hold our own," adds Anne-Claire. She points out that the boat has "been improved a lot this winter." The winter refit lasted four months, a new set of sails was fitted, and everyone has noticed "a performance gain." Nevertheless, the Ocean Fifty race promises to be an exciting one, and both sailors intend to be part of it. Anne-Claire concludes: "Our goal is to have a great race, to go all the way, to give it our all, and let’s see how it goes.”

TCO25 Upwind by MerConcept
© Jean-Marie Liot / Alea