Arnaud Boissières is one of the small group of sailors to have
completed two consecutive editions of the Vendée Globe (there are nine
skippers in all). He is due to go for a third attempt, as his project is
advancing well. He has found the funding for the boat with the support
of Aerocampus Aquitaine, and now needs to find the budget to run his
campaign. Some more good news! Sometimes, meeting someone in the Paris Metro can be interesting. In
the long corridors under Montparnasse, I caught sight of Cali (Arnaud’s
nickname) and tapped him on the shoulder as if having a joke:
- So Cali, so you’ve found a partner. Great, so does that mean you’ll be at the start of the next Vendée Globe?
- Err...How did you know about that?
- I was only joking, but it looks like I was right…
- (laughs) OK. I’ll tell you what is going on…
And that is how with my dictaphone in one hand on a pavement in Paris, I found out the good news. Arnaud Boissières is going to be there at the start of the 2016 Vendée Globe, thanks to the support of Aerocampus Aquitaine. Interview.
Arnaud, let’s get things straight. How well advanced is your Vendée Globe project? “We’re well on our way to finding the funding for the boat. I have just been to see two in fact in Britain. We’re looking at all the boats that are on the market and things are going well. I don’t yet have all the funding, but a large part of it with the partnership with Aerocampus Aquitaine. In terms of the funding, I have around 40% of the budget, but I am also going to be able to count on the skills at Aerocampus to work on the boat. So a boat that is more or les ready could interest us. Not necessarily in terms of labour, but with studies and expertise in a lot of areas... The deal does not merely involve putting a name on the boat, but also using it as a technical support for the training done at the Aerocampus. Between the aeronautic sector and sailing, there are a lot of similarities and it can also become a starting point for them to set up a campus linked to the marine sector. There is room for something like that in Bordeaux with the large barges on the Garonne, cruising yachts, racing boats… The starts of the Solitaire du Figaro in Bordeaux really helped everyone become aware of this in the Aquitaine region. There’s Yves Parlier, Lalou Roucayrol… and I was born in Bordeaux. There’s a lot of know-how in our region.”
Aerocampus trains future executives for the aerospace manufacturer, Aerospatiale, doesn’t it?
“Aerocampus is an American style campus, with major firms set up there at the same time. Aerocampus takes care of the training. For example, the future executives for Dassault are training not at Dassault but at Aerocampus. For them, it’s a nursery for skilled labour.”
You said you had 40% of the funding… is that about how certain you are of competing in the Vendée Globe too?
“I’ve been 100% certain I’ll be there at the start of the Vendée Globe ever since the finish of the last Vendée! Having said that, there are moments when we all feel uncertain about this matter. Even if you’ve got the funding together, you can still not 100% certain of competing. What is certain is that as far as I’m concerned and that goes for Aerocampus too, we simply cannot imagine not being there at the start now. We’re looking for joint partners to fund a three-year programme. We’ve got the budget here to buy the boat – probably not the most expensive one in the world – but the idea is to buy a boat, which is at least as good a performer as the one I had for the 2012-2013 race.”
As for the use of foils. Is it really a question of waiting for the time being?
“Some of the big players are already working on that question and spending money on that. Of course, that is bound to interest us, since Aerocampus has the skills to make such parts. We’ll probably carry out a study in 2016. If they work well, why not? But we’ll be taking it one step at a time.”
Do you have an idea about the schedule for buying a boat?
“We’ve reached the stage where we can put in an offer and I have several meetings lined up. Ideally, I’d like to have the boat before the spring of 2015. In my wildest dreams, I’d love to get hold of Gamesa (Mike Golding’s old boat, editor’s note) as I’m convinced she still has it in her… but there are others out there of course.”
Interview with Bruno Ménard / Mer & Media Agency (www.vendeeglobe.org)
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