Julia Virat: From mountain tops to endless ocean horizons
Julia Virat is delighted to join the FEMINA Ocean Challenge team as skipper. She'll be setting sail for new horizons as she takes the start of the Transat Québec Saint-Malo at the helm of Équinoxe with a 100% female crew. She will use her experience of the most hostile environments to push back the limits of ocean sailing.
After two decades taming the globe's highest peaks as an emeritus mountain guide, in 2016 Julia Virat took a turn towards ocean racing. She's been racing in Class40s for the past three years, and has set her sights on the Jacques Vabre double-handed women's race in 2021, and a full program of double-handed women's races in 2023. She owns her own solo Class40, the 124, which is a sister-ship to the 127.
Her passion for the extreme, her unshakeable courage and her unfailing determination have forged her into an outstanding competitor. Her unique experience in the world's most demanding environments, from the rock faces of Yosemite to stormy seas, make her an exceptional skipper.
She loves wild and demanding environments, risk management and decision-making, long and strenuous efforts, as well as the emotions that go with them, and sharing them with as many people as possible.
We are delighted to welcome Julia Virat to the FEMINA Ocean Challenge team aboard the yacht Équinoxe.
