Team Tilt officially selected for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup

by Team Tilt Sailing on 18 Jan 2017 Twelve teams of youth sailors aged 19 to 25 have been selected to race the RBYAC 2017 in Bermuda in June. They will compete on the foiling AC45s that were used for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events and will race in the lead up to the America’s Cup itself.

Six of the competitors are mentored by Cup teams and the other six were chosen from 20 candidates during a selection process managed by double-Olympic medallists Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher, founders of the event in 2013. Team Tilt was evaluated in Marseille last November.

“The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup has changed the America’s Cup, proving that youth sailors have their place on these extremely powerful new boats,” said Steinacher. “The foiling AC45s can reach top speeds over 40 knots, so the spectacle on the crystal-clear waters of Bermuda will be breath taking!

Seven youth sailors selected to represent Switzerland in Bermuda

Choosing seven sailors aged between 19 and 25 out of 33 candidates to represent Switzerland in Bermuda in June was challenging to say the least. “We selected them based on their skills, but above all because they represent the broadest possible crew combination,” explained Tanguy Cariou, sports director.

“The overall level was high and with very different profiles. We spent a lot of time observing the sailors on the boat and then our final decision at the end of the year was guided by the fitness tests organised by Sport Quest.”

The list below presents the seven sailors of which three are from Geneva, three are from Vaud and one is from Winterthur on the Swiss German side of the country. There are only six spots on the foiling AC45, so the seventh man will be the reservist ready to step in at the last moment in the event of injury or illness.

“Getting to this point has taken major personal commitment, both physically and on the water,” said Guillaume Rigot. “There is still a lot of work to do, but it is very motivating to have been selected!”

Teams participating in the 2017 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup:
Team Tilt, Switzerland
Candidate Sailing Team, Austria
Youth Vikings Denmark, Denmark
Next Generation – Team Germany, Germany
Spanish Impulse Team, Spain
Next Generation USA, USA

The following six teams are affiliated to an America’s Cup team:
Team BDA, Bermuda
NZL Sailing Team, New Zealand
Artemis Racing Youth, Sweden
Land Rover BAR Academy, United Kingdom
Team France Jeune, France
Kaijin Japan Team, Japan

Team Tilt sailors for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup:
(Name, role on board, role ashore, date of birth, place of residence)
Sébastien Schneiter – helmsman / skipper (24 September 1995, Anières)
Jérémy Bachelin – trimmer / management (11 July 1993, Eclépens)
Jocelyn Keller – trimmer / team organisation (3 August 1994, Lutry)
Arthur Cevey – bowman / technical preparation (1 January 1996, Versoix)
Guillaume Rigot – tactician, trimmer / performance and briefings (5 December 1993, Geneva)
Nils Theuninck – trimmer / physical preparation (21 December 1996, Pully)
Florian Trüb – trimmer, bowman / technical preparation (10 April 1994, Winterthur)
And of course, behind the sailors, there is a team hard at work!