Transat Café L’Or: fair winds to the two skippers supported by ENGIE

The Cap pour Elles program, supported by ENGIE, encourages greater gender diversity in offshore racing — an engagement fully aligned with our social responsibility program Impact Together, which promotes inclusion across professions and passions alike.

After supporting the winning duo Tiphaine Ragueneau and Pamela Lee through Cap pour Elles in 2023, ENGIE is once again on board this year with Axelle Pillain from France and Aïna Bauza from Spain.  They were selected from 13 applicants. Our two skippers will be one of five all-female teams competing in a race that features 18 women among 148 participants. 

Two female skippers with complementary profiles

Born in Mallorca, 30-year-old Aïna studied merchant shipping before switching from Olympic sailing to offshore racing. Axelle Pillain, 34, is a trained engineer who began her career on the Mini circuit.
We met them during their final preparations. 

Video portrait of Aïna Bauza and Axelle Pillain, filmed in Lorient a few weeks before the race.

“You can’t deny that sailing is still a very male-dominated world. Many of the big names are men — Armel Le Cléac’h, François Gabart… But there are also women like Ellen MacArthur and Samantha Davies. Things are evolving toward more equality, and this project is a great example of that.”

Axelle Pillain, skipper

Fair winds to Aïna and Axelle!
The race starts on October 26 at 2:45 p.m. UTC+1 (3:45 p.m. Paris time), with arrival expected in Martinique about two weeks later. 

The 2025 route of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandie.

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