At the Bonafous household, sailing is a family affair. "I grew up in a family of sailors in North Finistère, five minutes from the sea. We had a small boat. I did a lot of sailing with my family when I was very young, with my parents, my little sister, and my older brother. We often spent a week in the summer on the North coast of Brittany. It gave me a taste and passion for being at sea."

At seven years old, she asked to start sailing Optimist boats at the Locquirec club. Her parents hesitated, but she insisted and got her way. "I started in the middle of winter, in the worst conditions, and I loved it. I started racing right away. I enjoyed the competition as much as the sailing itself and immediately sought to improve," she says. She climbed all the ranks and finished her Optimist career with a bronze medal at the French Championship at 14 years old. Elodie then achieved great performances in crewed boats and was crowned J80 World Champion in 2017, followed by World University Champion in the discipline the following year.

In 2019, she became the first winner of the Challenge Bretagne - CMB Océane on the Figaro circuit. After two successful years with the team, Elodie joined the Groupe Quéguiner.

The young Breton sailor, who trains at the Finistère Offshore Racing Center, is indeed taking on a new challenge with higher goals. Elodie has steadily improved her game over the months, achieving a 9th place at the 2022 French Offshore Racing Elite Championship and, most notably, a promising 8th place in the Solitaire du Figaro, including a remarkable podium finish in the final leg between Royan and Saint-Nazaire. A feat accomplished only once before by another woman: British sailor Clare Francis in 1975.

The goal for the months ahead: Launch into 2023 with a "performance" mindset from the start.