Sails of change
Utilising sport and nature to create a sustainable future for our planet.
About Sails of Change
Sails of Change is dedicated to the protection and regeneration of biodiversity, created by Dona Bertarelli, her husband Yann Guichard, and her children.
“Sails of Change was born from our family’s shared passion for sports, art and nature. We wanted to inform, inspire and unite a wide range of the public to change their behaviour for the benefit of nature.”
Inspire
Each of us has the power to protect nature. We work to inspire people and organisations to change their behaviour, helping them to identify practical ways to become nature-positive.
Unite
We are all in this together. We bring together stakeholders, identify and promote solutions, and form a community of peers who learn from, and progress with, each other.
Change
What counts is meaningful change. We seek to influence policymakers and decision makers. We work with partners to regenerate ecosystems, and support projects to protect and preserve nature.
Sports for Nature
In October 2022, Sails of Change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the IOC and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) launched ‘Sports for Nature’, a partnership to help sports organisations mitigate negative impacts on biodiversity and climate.
OBJECTIVE #30x30
The first campaign to be supported by Sails of Change is ‘30x30’, a global call for action to protect at least 30% of the ocean and the earth by 2030. This message is conveyed in the branding of the TF35 catamarans as well as the maxi-trimaran.
Discover Sails of ChangeThe founders
Inspired by their love for the natural world
The founders of Sails of Change, Yann Guichard, Dona Bertarelli and her children, are outdoor sports enthusiasts and share a deep connection to the ocean through their sailing activities. They express their commitment through the sharing of ideas and information, as well as through the creation of partnerships to protect and restore the environment, and they work to instigate significant changes for the benefit of future generations.
Dona Bertarelli spent her childhood in the countryside, out on the water and in the mountains. She champions the oceans having supported the protection of over 2.7 million km2 of ocean through the Fondation Bertarelli, and more recently she took on the role of Special Adviser to UNCTAD for the Blue Economy.
Together with Yann Guichard she founded Sails of Change, their professional sailing team, in 2011, originally under the Spindrift banner.
Having spent all his childhood sailing, Yann Guichard became an Olympic sailing champion before launching into a highly successful multihull career in both inshore and offshore racing.