Meet Fanny Rodriguez, our favorite sailing instructor!

Our brand new SAILIZ ambassador comes to us directly from the South of France, specifically from Toulon. We are delighted to welcome a sailing instructor to our team who has agreed to answer our questions in this interview.

Can you tell us how you started sailing before becoming an instructor, and where?

I started at the age of 11, which is quite late for most sailors! I was offered a sailing section when I entered middle school. I did my first catamaran course at the Yacht Club de Toulon and I was hooked right away from the very first afternoon. It inspired the rest of my life; I knew for sure I wanted to be a sailing instructor!

Can you tell us about your current projects and what drives your daily life as a sailing instructor?

After a summer season working as a deckhand in the Gulf of Morbihan, I was able to deepen my knowledge of the maritime environment and support the place of women in a predominantly male profession. For now, I’m in Morbihan, enjoying the small waves while waiting to return to my native South.

How did the SAILIZ GIRL adventure start for you?

The adventure started for me with Sailiz at the end of June when Solène announced that I was one of the ambassadors chosen to represent her brand, which I had fallen in love with last January when she was still offering prototypes of the exact overalls I had been dreaming of!

A 100% female brand for technical sailing gear, what does that inspire in you?

It was about time!!! Thankfully, there are women like Solène who are finally thinking about women in the industry! Girls in maritime are amazing and deserved to finally have technical gear of the same quality and comfort as men!

The place of women in sailing and the slogan #YESGIRLSCANSAIL, what do you think about it today in 2024?

YES GIRL CAN SAIL, for a long time and very well!! The list of examples would be long, but starting with Florence Arthaud, Clarisse Crémer, or Violette Dorange! They are an example for all women seeking freedom.

Even more so in 2024, women are strong and independent, and perfectly capable of steering a boat!

What are your best sailing experiences?

Haha, complicated question, I have several, obviously! Hard to choose!

I would say my first podium finish at 15 in a catamaran. There’s also the fulfillment as a sailing instructor of seeing young people win trophies! Then, later, during a rough crossing between the Canaries and La Ciotat, during a 6 AM to 8 AM watch in the Atlantic, a pod of about a hundred dolphins passed around the boat at sunrise. It was a unique and magical moment that destiny granted to me alone!

What are your future plans, your dreams?

Currently, I’m waiting to pass my Captain 200 sailing diploma, in order to set up a charter company in the Mediterranean basin – that’s the long-term goal!

I’d like to do a transatlantic crossing and then a transpacific!

In the meantime, I want to join the merchant navy and get mechanic certifications!

If you had to give advice to women who want to sail more, what would you tell them?

Don’t be afraid, you are absolutely capable! Surround yourselves with good, knowledgeable, and respectful people to allow you to practice safely. Reach out to associations like Women for sea to sail with amazing women. Remember that we all started somewhere, and there’s no shame in not knowing how to do something! Never give up! The ocean belongs to everyone and is for everyone.

Perhaps you’ll run into our favorite sailing instructor if you go for a sailing course in the South!