As the arrivals of the skippers of the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe approach in Les Sables d’Olonne, meeting with trainees and work-study workers mobilized on land.
While the first competitors in the Vendée Globe are expected this Tuesday, January 14 in Les Sables d’Olonne (85)the Vendée city is ready for the home stretch. On site, the Everest des Mers village will reopen its doors until February 2. Everyone is waiting for the fireworks that will accompany the arrival of the winner.
Off the coast of Brittany, Charlie Dalin (Macif) is now expected in the early morning on the finish line of the 10th solo round the world trip, non-stop and without assistance. After 64 days of racing, he is heading towards a record.
Here for the latest details
This assistance, Marco knew it well when he had to arrive two weeks before departure, at the end of October, to prepare the boat of the British Conrad Colman (MS Amlin), currently 22nd overall. “There were around ten of us on the technical part in order to finalize the last details,” says the young technician. Hired for two years on a work-study basis since last July, Marco is following a BTS CICN at the UIMM Brittany Training Center.
Passionate about sailing since he was 11, he has already completed courses alongside professional skippers such as Jean Le Cam. The Vendée Globe was the dream experience. After two months spent in the Lorient hangar for winter work, he is back in Les Sables. “It’s really an environment that I like. I am a flight trainer. I make carbon parts and install various equipment on board the boat. My specialty is composites. And I do a little seamanship”
Marco, alternately, prepared the boat of the British Conrad Colman. © Photo provided by the witness
Mission intensity
Live from the PC Course, we find Lucas L., in end-of-studies internship within the communications department of SAEM Vendée, the organizing company of the offshore race. “It was very intense at the start, with all the service providers and the press to manage. After a fairly calm edition in terms of damage, we are arriving at the period when the first ones will arrive. We feel that the atmosphere is picking up. We will find this very intense atmosphere from the start.”
Having undergone STAPS training, Lucas L. follows a Master 2 in marketing at TBS Education in Toulouse. As soon as he saw the ad on the Internet, he didn’t hesitate for a second to apply. “My main mission is to provide the website with photo, audio and video content that the skippers send us. I also publish articles from our editorial team and create digital media for meetings.”
The press is talking about it
Communication is also the hobby of Lucas B., currently in the 2nd year of a master’s degree in sports management at MBA ESG Paris. In a work-study program within Com’over, the agency which manages media relations for the Vendée globe, he is experiencing the event to the fullest.
“There were more than 1,000 accredited international journalists at the start of the race, it was incredible,” he remembers. “Our role is to manage PC Media, the journalists’ home. We must be there to make connections, manage interview request slots, prepare language elements, send press releases, facilitate access to the pontoon.”
As he prepares to relive eight busy weeks, he says: “We need a lot of rigor because we receive a lot of requests. be 100% focusedmake the link between many actors and interlocutors.”
Organization, anticipation and adaptability
Arrivals will continue during the months of January and February with a line closure on March 7. Until then, our three students will be at the heart of the excitement. A major asset for the CV. “By doing this internship, this reinforces my attraction to sporting eventsconfides Lucas L.. It’s really an event of great magnitude which motivates us for the future.”
All arrivals, day and night, will be broadcast live on the official Vendée Globe pages, via YouTube. The winner’s return to the channel will be broadcast live on France Télévisions and many other channels in France and internationally.
Lucas B. confirms: “This event allows us toacquire methodology in everything you do. I have matured, especially orally. It teaches you organization and efficiency, how to anticipate, adaptability. It’s very educational.”
Meanwhile, Marco observes that his sailor Conrad Colman is progressing like a large majority of the pursuers in the South Atlantic. Driven by strong winds, they will have to remain vigilant until the end to avoid any sail breakage. “He is starting to see the end of the tunnel. We are preparing to welcome him,” concludes Marco. Next challenge? The Transat Jacques Vabre, the start of which will take place on October 26 in Le Havre.
