North Crew: Arnaud Psarofaghis

As a sail designer for North Sails in Geneva and co-skipper of team Alinghi, Arnaud Psarofaghis maintains an envious balance of work and play. With the Extreme Sailing Series kicking off in Oman, this week you’ll find him foiling at the helm of Alinghi’s GC32.

“I have been a designer at North Sails Geneva for 10 years and enjoy it a lot. We face new challenges every day to build the fastest sails whilst also meeting demands from the customer. It’s nice to be able to create something new every day.” Lake Geneva is likely the perfect place for a multihull sailor like Arnaud. Originally from Corsier, he has risen as one of Switzerland’s top sailors and in 2014 was named the country’s Male Sailor of the Year. He has a broad and detailed range of experience across the multihull world, having found success in the D35s, the Ventilo M2, the Extreme 40 and also the AC45.

While sailing with Team Tilt, he won the 2015 D35 Trophy, a title that included a win in the iconic Bol d’Or. He also has made a big name for himself in the Moth Class of dinghy racing.

When asked for his advice to young sailors with big aspirations, he said:

“The key element is to be able to sail on several different types of boats to gain overall experience with different teams and sailors. All of my opportunities in sailing came from being able to spend a lot of time on the water.”