Anthony Marchand, skipper of the Route du Rhum, and Samuel Tual, president of Actual: “The race is solitary, not the adventure”

The start of the Route du Rhum is fast approaching. It’s Sunday November 1st in Saint-Malo (Côtes-d’Armor). Until then, it's time for the final preparations for Actual Ultim 4, the boat owned by Actual, the group active in temporary employment, training and integration.

Its president, Samuel Tual, and the skipper, Anthony Marchand, are both in the starting blocks. LE FIGARO. - Before a race like this, what message do you send to the skipper?

Samuel TUAL. - I first inquire about the state of the troops. Understand: is the boat in working order and above all, how does Anthony feel at the dawn of this deadline?

The competition is ultra-demanding, it requires you to be sharp, both physically and mentally. For the rest, there is no question of putting any pressure on him. Anthony knows perfectly well what he has to do.

The only important thing in the end is to spread confidence. Tell him that we are on his side and that we know his value. This is also a conviction that I also carry within the company.

Trusting does not mean renouncing demands, quite the contrary. And what does the sailor say to the shipowner before setting off? Anthony MARCHAND.

- These discussions before departure are always interesting. We actually need to build up confidence. For my part, I like to take stock of the boat.

Machine-translated from French