LE VOILIER SOLIDAIRE

A COMMITTED ADVENTURE

The Ocean Peak association is made up of passionate sportsmen who work for the reintegration of young people in great difficulty.

Through breakaway stays at sea and in the mountains and discovery weekends, the association supports young people from the child welfare system and from the priority districts of the city around La Rochelle.

However, since the creation of the association 4 years ago, “the lack of access to a boat has been a hindrance to the development of our actions” for Marta, founder of the association. The project “Le Voilier Solidaire” was born to meet this challenge.

THE PROJECT « LE VOILIER SOLIDAIRE »

The project emerged thanks to Nicolas Chanteloup who donated his boat “Sainte Anne” to the association and who is now in charge of the renovation yard. “I lived on this boat for 10 years with my own children and it was important to me to see this boat continue its history”.

The renovation of this boat began with the financial support of the Decathlon Foundation and the human support of the Decathlon Tribord teams. To do this, participative workcamps open to all are organized every month.

The boat is scheduled to be launched in spring 2023.  “Our young people are going to live a crazy experience on the boat. You have to be in a team to make it work and teamwork is one of the keys to the success of our projects!” Marta, Ocean Peak.

Through the adventures at sea, some young people discover a vocation. For example, a 15 year old who came three times is now an intern in a sailmaker’s shop. In addition, in order to open up the professional horizons of these young people in relation to sport, the Decathlon Tribord teams organize workshops to help them discover the site and all the jobs related to the design and conception of sports products.

THE TESTIMONY OF DECATHLON PROJECT LEADERS

Guillaume, Tribord site manager and product manager

– Why did Tribord want to join the adventure?

“Sailing is by definition quite inaccessible, due to its complexity, technicality and cost. I immediately fell in love with Marta’s project and what she is doing through Ocean Peak to make this sport accessible. For the Tribord site, it’s very interesting to work with an association that has strong local roots, we can witness the impact of our actions on the beneficiaries.”

Pierre Ralite, Tribord product engineer

– Why did you want to get involved in this project?

“I have sailed a lot in my life and I wanted to give more meaning to my passion for sailing, to be useful. The “big brother” attitude is quite natural for me and I have a good feeling with the young people.”

– What do you remember about the breakaway trip you participated in?

“When you sail with Ocean Peak, you get into a virtuous circle that is quite incredible. The values of the project are so beautiful and universal that the young people quickly feel at ease. We are lucky enough to be able to sail on incredible boats, the people we meet are in a state of mind of generosity and fraternity.”

– What is the role of sailing in the integration of young people?

“The boat’s support creates a small microcosm, which can be removed from “civilization”. It’s up to us to put in place the benevolence, the listening and all the ingredients that will allow young people to blossom. It is a sport that makes people dream and we sail with sailors who have inspiring stories to tell.  The young people take ownership of this culture and are very proud of it.