A Transatlantic Exchange Redefines the WASZP Pathway

A Transatlantic Exchange Redefines the WASZP Pathway

As the WASZP class continues to mature on both sides of the Atlantic, leaders in Europe and North America are aligning around a shared challenge: how to grow the fleet, raise the performance ceiling, and do so without driving up costs or environmental impact. The result is a new transatlantic exchange initiative designed to rethink how sailors travel, compete, and connect globally.

The pilot program begins this season with a simple but powerful idea. Manu Guedon, a leading figure in the French WASZP community, is sending one of his sailors to compete at the WASZP Games in Pensacola, where the sailor will charter a fully supported boat at standard European charter rates rather than incurring the full cost of international equipment transport. This structure allows the sailor to compete internationally while remaining within a typical European seasonal sailing budget. In return, a North American sailor will compete at the European WASZP Championships in Mar Menor, chartering locally at North American rates while racing in Europe and doing so within the scope of a normal North American campaign budget.

At face value, the exchange reduces the most significant barrier to international competition: the cost and carbon footprint of shipping boats across oceans. At a deeper level, it represents a philosophical shift in how the class thinks about growth.

“Instead of every sailor needing to move their own equipment around the world, we can move sailors, knowledge, and culture,” Manu Guedon explains. “This exchange is about responsibility, but also about ambition. When sailors race abroad more easily, the level rises everywhere.”

The initiative is intentionally framed as a long-term pathway rather than a one-off gesture. By creating a repeatable charter exchange model, regional fleets can begin to plan shared calendars that emphasize local sailing, targeted international travel, and meaningful competition rather than constant logistics. Over time, groups of sailors from Europe and North America will be able to travel in both directions at a fraction of the cost traditionally associated with international foiling campaigns.

From the North American perspective, the program fits squarely into the broader class strategy of building depth through access rather than exclusivity. Tyler Bjorn sees the exchange as a natural extension of the pathway already forming across HUBs, regional qualifiers, and championship events.

“This is exactly the kind of initiative that helps the entire fleet,” Bjorn says. “It lowers barriers, reduces environmental impact, and puts sailors into new competitive environments that accelerate learning. When a North American sailor lines up in Mar Menor, or a European sailor races in Pensacola, everyone benefits from that shared experience.”

Importantly, the exchange is not just about elite sailors. Organizers envision future phases that include youth, race teams, and masters sailors, using charter pools and coordinated scheduling to make international racing attainable earlier in a sailor’s development. As these exchanges scale, they also help stabilize local fleets by keeping boats sailing locally rather than sitting in shipping containers.

The broader impact may be cultural as much as competitive. WASZP has always positioned itself as a global class with a shared identity, and this program reinforces that ethos. Sailors arrive not just to race, but to integrate into local fleets, train alongside peers, and carry ideas back home.

What begins with one sailor, one boat, and one exchange could become a defining feature of the WASZP ecosystem. By prioritizing collaboration over duplication and sustainability over excess, the class is quietly setting a new standard for international one-design sailing—one that grows participation, sharpens performance, and respects the environments that make foiling possible in the first place.

Learn more about upcoming events in Europe on RaceHub

To inquire about joining this program please contact the International Class Manager (class@waszp.com)