Originally from Arras (Pas-de-Calais), Baptiste Duchateau, 27, landed in the Lorient marina. Visitor pontoon. An accident of life made him follow this path. “A friend gave me a boat. She could no longer take care of it,” he explains. He was finishing his computer science studies in Paris and was looking for a bit of himself. The boat – a 7.60 m Sangria named Gely – was moored in Arzon. “I was coming back from Bulgaria. I didn’t want to work in Paris, so I went to live there for a bit.” This is how the desire to make it his home began more than three years ago. It leaves Arzon for Port-Louis, before docking in the center of Lorient. The boat is “a lifestyle choice”. A “very pleasant way to meet people, on the pontoons”. And Baptiste likes that. “It’s very friendly, there’s a sort of roommate atmosphere, while still maintaining your autonomy.” This also responds to his desire for freedom. “It’s the pleasure of moving with your home, of sailing, of visiting.”
Baptiste Duchateau works in marine electronics for offshore racing, “for a skipper”. This embedded life suits him well. “There are mixtures, a form of porosity between work and passion.” If he likes the boat for the boat’s sake, he appreciates “the home side” just as much. A few months ago, he swapped his old 7.60 for Wollongong, a ten meter sailboat. Great luxury! Even if space remains limited. “One cabin in the front, one cabin in the back.” Living on a boat cannot be improvised. “You really have to love the boat, the object itself.” You also have to “be flexible” with the notion of comfort. “It’s not a sacrifice either.” A different life with practices that are just as different. “We accumulate fewer things.” Over time, he got used to this life. “I don’t know what life is like on earth anymore,” he smiles.
Find a home port
A life without constraints. Or almost. “We need to find a home base. A boat takes time to maintain, there are always things to improve.” Unable to have a place all year round in a port, he found a place for the month at the visitor pontoon in the city center of Lorient. If there is a practical side, constraints nevertheless exist. Particularly on the price side. “In low season, it’s okay: €290 per month excluding electricity. In high season, this becomes the price of an apartment.” Too expensive, he prefers to move. With Gely, he hardly had time to sail, but now intends to give himself more time to do so. “We can settle down in cool places, Groix, Belle-Île.” Baptiste Duchateau enjoys this life. “I may not do it all my life, but still for quite a few years.” Especially since he is toying with various projects, including that of traveling around the world. With his boat for companion.
