YACHT: Mr Poitau, how did you come up with the idea of sailing the Vendée Globe in the garden?
Bernard Poitau: The whole thing started four years ago. During the lockdown, I happened to see the Vendée Globe on television. I noticed that some of the skippers were promoting aid organisations. Tanguy Le Turquais was sailing for Lazare (Help for the homeless, ed.) or Samantha Davies for Initiatives Cœur (helps children with heart defects, ed.).
I myself have been involved with Anticyclone - an organisation that helps asylum seekers - for 20 years. And I also have a boat. I bought it for one euro for my ten grandchildren. So I had a boat and a club - all I needed was to take part in the Vendée itself. And with Virtual Regatta (an online simulator), that was possible.
What distinguishes you from the "real" skippers?
So, I have two boats: a real one and a virtual one. The real one is about three metres long and 1.40 metres high. It's in the garden and is connected to the electricity so I can use a heater and a microwave. I use my virtual boat to sail around the world with the real skippers.
"It's like a monastery cell"
Their everyday life on board is again very similar.
That's right. I live, sleep and eat on the boat without seeing anyone - not even my family at Christmas. It's like being in a monastery cell. I have a lot of time to read and meditate.
Do you make exceptions?
I leave my boat for two hours a day - on the instructions of my doctor. He wants me to walk about 10,000 steps a day. I'll soon be 72 years old and I've already had three vein infections.
And digitally, how are things going there?
I check the course of my virtual boat on my tablet every three hours - even at night. Of the 40 skippers, I'm in twentieth place. (In the virtual race, Poitau ranks around 77,000th, with over 700,000 registered users instead of 40, Red.)
You are getting a lot of attention for this unusual project.
Yes, that's true. The media rush is huge. The major TV and radio stations and newspapers in the country have given the adventure a great deal of coverage. But that's good - after all, the aim is to collect as many donations as possible.
More about the Vendée Globe:
"Many asylum seekers have made much tougher sea journeys during their escape."
What are you collecting the money for?
The money will go to the asylum seekers of my organisation Anticyclone. I collect the donations for this purpose on its own website. Many asylum seekers have made much tougher sea journeys during their escape. This should also be emphasised and respect paid to those affected.
A few weeks ago, a film with a similar story was released in French cinemas: "La Vallée des fous". Did it inspire you?
When I heard that Xavier Beauvais was making a film about this subject, I hesitated. But a brother-in-law said to me: "What's more important - being the first or following your dream?" I decided in favour of the latter. After 40 years of looking after young people with difficulties, for me personally it's also about finding myself.
