The sport needs sponsors to help it thrive, and sailing is now one of the biggest recipients of sponsorship because its benefits are getting much better recognised, such as emotional and/or brand development, honest and sincere stories, high value hospitality, adventure, green values, and many others.
The French, in particular, understand and respect
these values, so commercial
sponsorship is high and so is the ROI. Offshore sailing is therefore growing in popularity amongst sponsors year on year and it doesn’t need the support of billionaires. It can stand on its own two feet, unlike the America’s Cup or the new Sail GP.
The Brits were the pioneers of ocean racing and adventure, but the French now dominate the results due to the enormous commercial success of the sport in France. In the UK, high budget campaigns like America’s Cup have caught the attention of the media and public, which is good for awareness and interest, but at times sailing as a whole can be wrongly
perceived as a rich man’s elitist sport, limiting the human and environmental appeal of ocean racing. My role is to throw a spanner in the works and try and end this unnecessary French dominance!
The success of solo sailing in France and the personalities it attracts have been shown to be very powerful weapons in developing emotional engagement with followers – something companies continually look to develop for brand engagement. Luckily, our team is fortunate to have the support of global partners from Jersey, UK, Scotland, France, Canada, California etc. What is important is that they are all unique and attracted for different reasons.
As I’ve now completed several transatlantic races, the next big challenge is to race around the world single-handed and non-stop in the Vendée Globe. Not only will this push my personal boundaries, but also help me achieve my ultimate goal which is to prove that you can rely 100% on renewable energy and complete
the world circumnavigation with zero fossil fuels on board.
That will be a highlight of my career and will add to a couple of other key events where I really surprised myself, such as finishing fourth out of 84 entries in my first Atlantic race, the Mini Transat, when at one point I was convinced I would never see land again. Then again when I won the 2006 Route du Rhum transatlantic race aboard a Class 40, this totally exceeded my best expectations.
However, ocean adventures don't all go to plan. I once joined another skipper for a double- handed transatlantic, and it wasn’t until we started racing that I saw we only had half the food we needed. As a result, any flying fish that were washed on deck got instantly devoured. Worse was to come after a water tank burst, which left us surviving off just one litre of water per day in the tropics. That was really not fun, and pushed us right to the limits of human sanity. However, this survival situation taught me a lot about myself and the importance of staying focused on the end goal, no matter how dire the situation.
Photographs by Jean-Marie Liot Alea & Jean-Louis Carli Alea.
L A D I E S A N D M E N S F A S H I O N
Gorey Pier
Open every day (including Sundays) Tel. 01534 855492
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