In Memoriam: Chantal Hoffman

The sailing community is mourning the tragic loss of Chantal Hoffman who passed away on 22 February 2025.

Chantal was a passionate sailor on and off the water, helping to enhance the sport in the Seychelles and ensure the voices of female athletes were heard. She began windsurfing at a young age, following in the footsteps of her brother, as well as sailing in the 420 and Laser classes. In 1999 she was nominated for the national Female Windsurfer of the Year Award – and would go on to win the title four times.

In 2003, she won silver in windsurfing at the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG), held in Mauritius, and was named among the top 10 finalists for Sportswoman of the Year.

The following year she moved away from competition but continued to surf in her leisure time. She made a comeback 10 years later, assisting with the officiating of races and caught the sailing bug once more as she took part in the 2015 IOIG in Reunion. A year later she was back on the podium, again taking silver, but this time in the Laser Radial competition at the Regional Sailing Championship held in the Seychelles. This saw her qualify for the African Laser Championship in Mozambique later that year where, again, she won silver and was nominated once more for Female Athlete of the Year – coming third. In a 2021 interview she described this as “a moment of pure joy and my best achievement so far!”

After retiring from competition, Chantal remained in the sport as an official and continued to support the watersports community in the Seychelles. She was Treasurer of the Seychelles Yachting Association and a member of World Sailing’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion committee.

She will be sorely missed by everyone at World Sailing and within the international sailing community.