| Name |
Christine BRIAND |
| Date of Birth |
21672 |
| Place of Birth |
La Rochelle, France |
| Profession |
Skipper and manager of a small company specialising in nautical events |
| ISAF World Ranking |
26 – Women’s Match Race Rankings |
| ISAF World Ranking |
Click here to view Christine's Skippers Report |
| Age started sailing |
11 |
| First boat sailed |
Optimist |
| Age started racing |
11 |
| First boat raced |
Optimist |
| What inspired you to take up sailing? |
My father – he was European Champion, World Champion, sailed at the Olympic Games (Dragon 1968) and so on… |
| How did you buy your first boat? |
My parents bought my first Optimist |
| Which was your first sailing club? |
Société des Régates Rochelaises, France |
| First Event competed in and Year |
French National Optimist Championships 1974 |
| First Event won and Year |
French Youth Championships in a 420 1976 |
| Principle achievements |
1983 Women's 470 World Champion |
| Principle achievements |
1994 and 2002 ISAF Women's Keelboat World Champion |
| Principle achievements |
1997-98 Whitbread Round the World Race on EF Education |
| Principle achievements |
2002 2 legs on Amer Sports Too in Volvo Ocean Race (see above) |
| Principle achievements |
Many national titles with female or mixed crews, almost always like a skipper |
| Detail the personal highlights of your sailing career to date |
My first youth national title in 420 dinghy, my first world championship title in the 470, my first 'Tour de France à la Voile' as a skipper, and my participation in the Whitbread, which for me were all goals and dreams. |
| What are your future sailing aspirations? |
Olympic preparation in Yngling for Athens and be involved in a great project like the next Volvo. |
| Briefly state what sailing means to you |
It is a fantastic “technology and strategy game”. I also like the human relationship with a crew. Sailing is freedom, international friendship and very nice and interesting competition, because sailing is a sport with many, many different faces. |
| Who has had the greatest impact or inspiration in your sailing career and why? |
…I think, it is my father because he gave me the motivation to like sailing, and he was a great champion. |
| Who do you consider to be your sailing hero? |
Paul Elvström |
| What other sports do you participate in outside of sailing? |
Skiing |
| What other sports do you participate in outside of sailing? |
Golf |
| What other sports do you participate in outside of sailing? |
Trekking |
| What other sports do you participate in outside of sailing? |
Swimming |
| Who do you consider to be the greatest sailor in the World and why? |
For me, it was Peter Blake, because he has won almost all the greatest competitions like the Whitbread, America’s Cup and so on. And now for me there are a few very good sailors – Russell Coutts, Paul Cayard, Bertrand Pacé, Robert Scheidt, each in their class – but they are not ‘the greatest’. |
| Briefly state what being nominated for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award 2002 means to you |
To me, it means being recognised, by the sailing world as one of the best women sailors this year, and for all my past. |
| If voted as the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2002, briefly say what will this mean to you? |
I would be very very proud of this. For me, it is a very big reward to be the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2002. For me, it will be a great and real honor to be recognised by all the sailors as one of the best for this year and as somebody important for the sailing world, including all my past achievements. |
An all round talent from dinghies to offshore yacht racing, fleet to match racing, Christine has demonstrated her skill at a variety of events over the last 12 months, including winning for the second time the women’s keelboat event at the ISAF World Sailing Games in July 2002, the first being in 1994.
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