When leaving for a sea regatta, you first switch your instant messengers to “temporarily out of touch”. Tatyana Neveeva, Senior Partner of VERBA LEGAL, is confident: yachting is not an obstacle to work, and you can close deals and win cases even on board.

Good Acquaintance

I got acquainted with yachting in 2021 by a lucky chance - friends invited me to Greece to take part in an amateur regatta. It was originally mixed with professionals, but at the request of beginners, all the professionals were separated, because we, lubbers, could not compete with them - they finished so quickly that each day of the race ended in a flash, and amateurs lost their enthusiasm.

I was shocked by how interesting yachting is, and participated in the regatta as much as I could: firstly, my fitness level allowed me to actively work on the boat, and secondly, you don’t have to yacht from early childhood to enjoy it. The period during which you can master the basics of boating and start showing noticeable results is quite short. And it was proved by our achievements at the Vedomosti Club Business Regatta. I participated in two stages: the first took place on 18-19 May in Sochi in the Imeretinsky yacht port, and the second was held on 8-9 June in Smolenka, St. Petersburg port. Our all-female team ranked #5 in the second stage, overtaking many well-coordinated crews. If you are athletic, team-oriented and have a clear mind, then you will quickly remember the names of all the sheets and sails and immediately understand what needs to be done. However, if you want to win regularly, you will have to train regularly. But in general, yachting is a great sport for beginners. Furthermore, like many other team sports, it reveals the essence of each person very quickly: first of all, people bring themselves to the team, and after the competition you either prefer never to see some new acquaintances again, or you make good friends.

Combine and Conquer

In my case, yachting does not interfere with work at all. After the Greek regatta, my friends sent me a whole collection of photo memes: “Tanya at the laptop on the stern”, “Tanya at the laptop in the cabin”, “Tanya at the laptop at night in a stormy wind” ... The popular excuse that there is no signal at sea is a pure myth, as you can work perfectly well both on the open sea and in between races. For example, this summer my friends and I went to the regatta in Monaco, cruised there and back along the Cote d'Azur, visited Menton, Toulon and other cosy French cities. And while I was spending my five working days at the regatta, we at VERBA LEGAL filed two appeals against the regulator’s judgement to the Belgian Council of State, submitted a request for arbitration with the LCIA, closed three deals, won the case… When we finished racing on Friday evening and sailed to Toulon, I was incredibly happy: finally, the weekend was ahead!

Teamwork

I tried so-called hedonistic yachting, when you and your friends charter a boat and take a relaxed sea cruise. Let me be honest: I was bored and missed what yachting is most attractive for - teamwork. At first, I thought that the entire race depended on one thing: if the skipper is good and talented, you will win, but if not, the team effort cannot compensate the mistakes you make, and I was wrong - the overall result can be ruined by the mistake of any participant. I am a team player by nature, and I am inspired by how yachting races match jurisprudence: all participants focus on a high result - although it requires less mental effort than legal work, and, unlike the outcome of courts and deals, becomes quickly clear.