Alexandre, captain of La Granvillaise | Destination Granville Land and Sea

Portrait by Marin GUILLOU, ambassador for Granville Terre et Mer

Meet...

Alexandre, captain of La Granvillaise, is first and foremost a man deeply rooted in his local area. Originally from Granville, he has an almost instinctive relationship with the sea. For him, nothing is really calculated: becoming a sailor, and then captain of a bisquine, is a matter of course. Before I could ride a bike, I knew how to sail an optimist”. This sentence alone sums up his relationship with the sea: precocious, natural, inseparable from his identity.

A unique path

There’s nothing linear about his career. He tells it with humour: he ” brilliantly failed his studies “. But this diversions was not a failure, rather a trigger. After gaining a vocational training certificate in cookery, he realised that this was “not his calling” and turned to sailing. From instructor to professional sailor, he gradually built his path in a still young field, where “professional sailing is a very recent profession “. Alexandre is one of those people who have learned by doing, by seizing opportunities, by meeting the right people and, above all, by sticking with it.

Sensitive to heritage

What stands out about him is his lucid view of the heritage he defends. He doesn’t idealise it. On the contrary, he insists that ” once the boat is built, it’s the easiest thing to do “. The real challenge is ” to make the heritage last “. Behind these words lies a demanding reality: dismantling, sanding, repainting and reassembling, year after year. Alexandre is a committed man, aware that keeping La Granvillaise alive is not just about sailing, it’s about fighting against time.

This mission also relies on an essential collective effort: that of the association that runs the boat on a daily basis. ” There are 230 of us at the last count “, he explains. Behind this figure are a multitude of profiles, not just sailors. Some sail, others come ” just to help with maintenance “, but all contribute in their own way to the ship’s survival. Alexandre insists on this point: keeping a bisquine alive today is ” very complicated from year to year “, and without this volunteer commitment, nothing would be possible. This community forms a veritable ecosystem around the boat, with everyone finding their place, whether on deck or ashore.

we have to do everything together

At sea, he is as much a captain as a teacher. Sailing on a bisquine requires rigour and teamwork: “ you have to do everything together “. There are no technical facilities like on modern sailing boats. You have to understand, anticipate and coordinate. Alexandre insists on the importance of explaining, passing on and putting everyone in their place. He likes to see novices progress and transform themselves: ” for a day, people think they’re sailors “. His satisfaction comes not just from sailing, but from this lively transmission.

While he has experienced the intensity of regattas, ” the palpitation that rises a little ” when the manoeuvres are carried out to the nearest centimetre. Today, he favours a different kind of requirement: ” clean sailing “. For him, beauty lies in the right gesture, in a well-executed manoeuvre, in the harmony of the crew. Speed takes second place.

Who is he?

His personality is marked by simplicity and sincerity. When asked what motivates him, he answers with a laugh: “ I don’t know! “. But behind this apparent lightness lies a deep, almost instinctive passion. Alexandre is not one for grand speeches, even if he does let slip a strong conviction: ” We must never be ashamed of our past… but we must also live with our eyes firmly planted on the future “. This phrase sums up his vision: to preserve without freezing, to pass on without nostalgia.

Finally, Alexandre is a transmitter of emotions. What moves him are those suspended moments when people discover, share and feel: an intense regatta, a birthday party at sea, or simply visitors who get off the boat and say ” we didn’t see the time go by “. And that’s the best compliment they can pay. For him, La Granvillaise is above all “a pleasure machine”.

Portrait by Marin GUILLOU, ambassador for Granville Terre et Mer