Gybe Set continues to grow, and we are excited to welcome Sandra “Sandy” Sandqvist as a guest writer, product developer, and expert voice within the community. With a career shaped by high-performance sailing, global racecourses, and a deep understanding of the sport from multiple angles, she brings both credibility and perspective to the platform. Over the coming period, she will be sharing her own experiences, knowledge and stories, along with stories from other sailors, here at Gybe Set.
Shaped by the Arctic elements
Sandra’s story starts far north, in conditions that most sailors would never associate with performance training. For her, it was simply normal. Early memories include Easter training camps where the starting line had to be cleared of ice before racing could begin, and long sessions alone in the archipelago under endless summer light.
“I always wanted to find how good of a sailor that someone like me, from a far forgotten icy corner of the world, could become.”
That question became a direction. It took her from junior sailing in an Optimist to a silver medal at the Opti Worlds, on to becoming Europe Class World Champion, and into three Olympic campaigns. Along the way came victories like Match Cup Marstrand and campaigns across some of the toughest offshore races in the world, including Transpac, Pac Cup, Fastnet and Middle Sea Race.
But performance has never been isolated to results. It has always been about the people and the process.
“The sailors I’ve met along the way have become my family, and I am grateful every day for being lucky enough to have a passion such as sailing. Part of loving sailing is also to love the challenges the elements throw at you.”
That perspective carries into everything she does. Whether racing a Moth on the edge of control or taking on long-distance challenges like sailing an F18 the full length of Sweden’s east coast, the thread is the same. Curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to stay in the discomfort long enough to grow.
Finding Meaning in Motion
For Sandra, sailing has never existed in isolation from the rest of life. It has shaped how she approaches career decisions, risk, and identity.
After following a more traditional path with academic studies and a role in management consulting, she realized something was missing. The disconnect was not about capability, but about meaning.
“It took me several years to redefine what career success meant to me, and I am still in that process.”
That search led her to Artemis Racing, where she worked inside one of the most intense performance environments in the sport, bridging teams across design, build, and sailing. It was a dream role in many ways, but also a reality check on the structural challenges still present in elite sailing.
“It was inspiring to work with people who truly cared, but also challenging being in such a male dominated environment.”
Her response was not to step back, but to build forward. Women on Water became one of those initiatives. A sprint sailing format designed to remove friction and lower the threshold to high-level racing without lowering ambition. With supplied boats, tight racing, and a strong social layer, it quickly scaled from a Danish concept to a successful Swedish platform.
Around the same time, her life expanded beyond sailing alone. Skiing re-entered the picture in her mid-twenties, not as performance pressure, but as pure enjoyment. That shift mattered.
“In sailing I was always chasing perfection. With skiing it was just joy and learning.”
Today, that balance continues to evolve. Together with her husband, a sailing mountain guide, she navigates family life while keeping space for both wind and snow, performance and enjoyment. The format may change, from offshore racing to sprint events, and from full winter seasons in a camper van to living close to the mountains in an apartment, but the core remains.
“What fascinates me is how all forms of sailing carry the same feeling. The adrenaline, the quiet moments, and that sense when the boat is happy and you are too.”
Turning Passion into Profession
Sandra is currently studying at Sjösportsskolan, combining certifications with a broader ambition to make sailing not just her passion, but her long-term professional platform. It is a natural continuation of a life already shaped by initiative and movement.
At Gybe Set, she will bring that same perspective. Stories grounded in experience, shaped by performance, and open to where sailing is heading next. Expect reflections from the racecourse, insights from within high-performance teams, and conversations that challenge how the sport grows, includes, and evolves.
