these personalities who move the community

Patrick Courtiau, spokesperson for fishermen

He is one of the figures of the port of Capbreton, owner of two fishing boats and a restaurant, opposite the harbor master’s office. Grandson of a fisherman, representing the profession, it is up to him to bear the heavy task of carrying the voices of his colleagues, particularly in this particularly difficult year for professionals. On all questions concerning the Capbreton artisanal fishery, which has 19 boats, he is the essential contact, as in recent months, when a one-month fishing ban was decreed, intended to avoid captures of dolphins, or even during negotiations concerning the price of fuel for professional fishermen.

Thierry Buisson, president of the Capbreton Aquatique Scaphandre Club

Under the water and on the boards, such is life for Thierry Buisson. Capbretonnais by birth, with “a grandfather who took care of the slaughterhouses”, this former actor and Club Méditerranée diving instructor, now aged 65, became in 2018 the president of the Capbreton Aquatique Scaphandre Club. With “700 divers per year” in the canal and various sites around the underwater Gouf fault, the club is the oldest in the town. “It was created in 1976, following the construction of the port and a request from the State, which required the presence of a diving club. » A baptism, then offered to Thierry Buisson, was enough to convert him to the practice.

Emmanuelle Andrieux, from the Le Vent délire bookstore

For eight years now, Emmanuelle Andrieux has realized her childhood dream: “Create [sa] own independent bookstore. » Behind his welcoming smile and his wise reading advice lies a desire to make Vent délire not only a space for selling books, but also a place for exchanges and meetings; a place that brings people together around books. Passionate about reading (outside of service time), Emmanuelle Andrieux feels like she has responded to a real need at the local level. At a time when some independent bookstores are worried about their future, she is delighted to see her project take on a new dimension.

Bernard Labat, president of the jazz festival

Bernard Labat, 67, is originally from Capbreton. He worked there for twenty years and has remained a presenter on Côte Sud FM for around twenty years. He has been artistic director of the Capbreton Jazz Festival for five years and has tried to “offer jazz accessible to all”. Bernard Labat is also the president of the Jazz Partner’s association, as well as the programmer of the six concerts taking place each year. By presiding this association, he wishes to promote jazz, and bring together “a large intergenerational audience, both connoisseurs and neophytes who want to discover”.

Vincent Gaüzère, president of the circus school

Retired Hossegor schoolteacher and president of the Alex-Galaprini circus school since 2015, Vincent Gaüzère is well known to Capbretonnais, both through his career and his investment as president of the association. Basketball player, trainer, runner, consultant for Spanish television programs, creator of the first Resto du coeur in the Landes… The inauguration of the Acrobatics and Urban Sports Center of Capbreton, a room dedicated to the practice of the disciplines taught, acrobatics, trapeze, fabric, juggling, allows to welcome artists in residence and to promote the development of the 300 members per year, in addition to hosting school projects.

Hugo Verlomme, writer specializing in the sea

At 72 years old, Hugo Verlomme is more than ever moored in the Landes. In his life of travel, lulled by the waters, the writer has recently decided to devote himself to a local entity, the Gouf de Capbreton, subject of his latest work, published in 2022 by Arteaz Pimientos. This native of Paris, son of a former prefect of Landes, makes his adopted port more than a place of inspiration. Because the Landes coastline is also the breeding ground for a battle, that of the defense of the ocean. The Réseau-Cétacés association, created in 1989, illustrates this activism, anchored in the body of the author of more than 30 works in varied styles and formats, and often shared during the numerous meetings and school interventions in which he participates.

Antoine Le Roux, manager of the association Le Circus

An inveterate “Zicos”, member of a trio, the Twin Stoners, Antoine Le Roux, 36, is above all Capbretonnais. Arriving in the city at the age of 11, he nurtured his passion for music until the founding of the Circus in 2013, in the Deux Pins artisanal area. For eleven years, this concert hall where underground, eclectic and local music is expressed, has multiplied the sequences throughout the year and the number of members within its association (more than 3,000 members). The Circus hosts numerous dance and music classes, as well as meetings that go beyond just the musical framework. “The garage of the free world”, as its founder promotes it.