Unhappy candidate for the presidency of the French Sailing Federation against Nicolas Hénard in 2017, Jean-Luc Denéchau has officially announced that he will stand for re-election on 27th March 2021. We asked him about his motivations and projects for the institution and the world of sailing.
What makes you want to go back to campaigning, 4 years after the lost election for the 2017 FFVoile presidency?
It is above all to want a different federation than the one that is taking shape. Many projects have been announced and few have been set up to date. We need projects that are not only elitist. The Federation must promote all practices, including leisure activities for well-being and relaxation, even if of course competition is important. Sailing creates social bonds. It offers a life experience and allows encounters. It is an outdoor activity in an environment that should be encouraged.
It is also an important economic sector capable of generating sustainable jobs, integrated into a circular economy. On the human side, it is necessary to work with volunteers, particularly through training, and to offer professionals a real insight into their career path and their career. I also want to strengthen the creation of links between the champions of today and those of tomorrow, through the sharing and transmission of knowledge.
What do you mean by the integration of sailing in a circular economy?
The aim is to encourage the emergence of local activity in a coherent navigation basin, by strengthening local competitions to reduce travel and by offering local training. This also favours local commerce and the nautical industry. Here too, there is a health and sustainable development issue at stake.
What project do you have to rejuvenate the age of the practitioners?
We have mostly young people and really not so young people. We lose a lot of practitioners around 20/25 years old and we will find them again around 40/45 years old. We must adapt the offer to this clientele (or members in the associative framework) with a faster implementation of the activity, a better benefit learning / pleasure. In particular, I would like to see a shared fleet for simpler and more economical use. For the clubs, this makes the boats more widely used and is also more virtuous ecologically.
Does the change go through the supports?
Support is marginal. Everyone has to practice what they want to do. Everyone must be given the opportunity to try and change. The shared fleet facilitates this change to make a kite one day, another time a habitable one...
What action do you intend to take to support ocean racing at the 2024 Olympics in Marseilles?
It had been in debate for over eight years. Action has been going on for a long time. Now we need an IOC decision (Editor's note: postponed until 31 May 2020). Apparently the small sticking point is about security concepts. Not so much those linked to damage to the boat, but rather the risks of attacks over a large area to be covered. We will have to show that France is capable of offering this security to athletes from all over the world. It is important to everyone that ocean racing is present at the Games. It is a great opportunity for sailing to be visible on television and on the internet.
What are you going to do for the clubs in the face of the difficulties linked to Covid-19?
The most important thing is the reboot. We need to restore the confidence of volunteers and professionals with a clear schedule for the clubs by sorting through the profusion of information and communicating in order to win back licensees and enhance the value of our outdoor sport. Financially, the systems largely exist with the communities. I would like to set up a unit to help clubs that have difficulty putting together files and identifying assistance.
What link should the FFVoile have with the rest of the nautical sector?
The Federation has a duty to meet in all areas of society, education, research and also industry. We must exchange and work in synergy. In the short term, the FFVoile has a training role for potential future boat buyers. In the longer term, we need to think together about sharing boats, how they are built or recycled...
