23/11/09 - 20:02 - Yves Gillet, chairman of the Route du Chocolat association: « There were some great fights out on the course. I’m really satisfied with the way things went from a solidarity point of view. The projects of the associations are being set up and the event is meeting objectives which we set. 600 000 euros have been raised as a result. The level of commitment and spontaneity on behalf of the Yucatan people has got this race off to a good start. It has been a pleasure. Things are looking good for a second edition.»

11/11/09 - 10:53 -

Yesterday in the studios of the radio station France Bleu Loire Océan the guest was Michel Monnier, Chairman of the association « Transmission ». This was the occasion for him to convey his enthusiasm which is so characteristic of those involved in the associations in the Solidaire du Chocolat.

"Humanity » is the buzzword you hear over and over again when Michel Monnier speaks. And he knows what he is talking about. For 25 years now, he has been helping people who are experiencing social difficulty via the performing arts. Every year, at the end of summer in Trans sur Erdre (44), a particular story is told. Over the past three years it has been the story of Jesus. Before that it was the French Revolution or Jules Cesar. It is not so much a question of religion as one of humanity. In putting the show together, many people have been able to form long-lost social links once again in making the decor, costumes and the production itself.

 Transmission has been recognized by the public authorities as being of public utility*. Its members have succeeded in establishing strong links with various companies in order to obtain material and financial support. Michel Monnier is a newly retired teacher. Some of his former pupils lie behind the involvement of the company DFC2 where they now work (a building and public works company). The link between the company and the association goes beyond that of financial support ; in the month of December, the company will be providing the association with a vehicle.

"Passion" is another of Michel’s favourite words. In keeping with the name of the Finnish boat they are supporting (Tieto Passion) and which bears the colours of the Transmission association, passion is red, the colour of DFC2, and representative of the driving force behind the team formed on the occasion of the Solidaire du Chocolat. Transmission, Jouni Romppanen & Sam Ohman and DFC2 : the ethos is to convey passion!

*Official approval of an organization to take on people who have been sentenced by a court to undertake « work of public interest » in partnership with the Ministry of Justice

Extracts from the programme :

« What is interesting about the Solidaire du Chocolat is to see low-key associations alongside big names. Yet each is in his rightful place. We are entitled to passion and opening out onto the world. Tieto Passion’s crew works in much the same way as Transmission. When you take a look at some of the impressive sailing CVs of the guys taking part in the Solidaire du Chocolat, and then ours (Tieto) – nothing! They are excellent yachtsmen and the boat does have the word "Passion" in it. We admire them for what they have done and are doing. »

04/11/09 - 23:32 -

Xavier Lemerrer, President of the association « Des Pieds et des Mains », and also an engineer with Cargill was the studio guest today and talked to Estelle Labarthe at France Bleu Loire Océan in Nantes. The occasion to recall the strong commitment ad solidarity surrounding Damien Seguin’s project.

« Damien has not been able to take part in a well-known race as he was born without no left hand which was why he created the association in 2005. The aim is to support the integration of handicapped people through sailing, to create dialogue and to open the eyes of the public bodies in order to increase the number of concrete projects. " La Solidaire du Chocolat is one such project. Damien Seguin and Armel Tripon on Cargill-MTTM are currently 4th – proof that it can be done. »

« Damien and Armel are sailing a great race. We didn’t expect them to do this well. A great human adventure. Not an obvious undertaking for Cargill and MTTM to sign with Damien. It’s working wonders in-house. Forty or so volunteers took turns to man the stand at the Saint Nazaire race village. And it’s not over yet! The employees are keeping up to date with the boat, a plasma screen in the canteen is our own race HQ and gives all the race information.»

Energy problems on board have made it difficult to contact the boat, but the two skippers have tons of energy left ! By e-mail : « We’re in economy mode. Well « with it » ! We’re sailing as it used to be, with very little information. Not easy, but it takes more than that to put us off ! We’re in the match and you can count on us not to let up !! We’ve got an advantage over our fellow competitors « Des Pieds et Des Mains », (Translator’s note : literally “hands and feet”, but an expression meaning to give it all you’ve got) is not just an expression for us, it’s a philosophy! So, for all those who support us and believe in us, rest assured that we are going to see this thing through and give it all we’ve got.”

03/11/09 - 19:52 -

Today’s guest at the radio chat session onto France Bleu Loire Océan’s programme was Stéphanie Selle, president of the association Planète Enfant. She is absolutely hooked on the Solidaire du Chocolat and keeps close tabs on Cheminée Poujoulat and her skippers Bruno Jourdren and Bernard Stamm sportign the colours of her association.  « I visit the website every four hours or so to keep up to date with the positions. I read all of the e-mails. I’m hooked! We felt a bit guilty in our comfortable office when they were having such a tough time. We’re right behind them all the way ! ».

Benefactors’ conspiracy

29/10/09 - 20:28 -

La Solidaire du Chocolat is a yacht race but not only a yacht race. Every day, the France Bleu Loire Océan studios see folks turning up for the radio chat session with the skippers. Associations, charities and patrons all involved in the adventure. Fine stories are being written out on the course, but also ashore.  Today’s guest was Jean François Gendron a businessman fully committed to the Solidaire du Chocolat. He is Chairman of the Nantes-Saint-Nazaire Chamber of Commerce the race’s institutional partner but a patron sponsor of the event. As director of SOTEC MEDICAL, Gendron’s company makes and supplies medical equipment . This explains the decision to support Un Maillot pour la Vie, a national association which was among sixty or so to have lodged an application with the race organizers to take part in the event.


Lucky Anne-Sophie Toumit who is the officer for the charity Un Maillot pour la Vie in Nantes is pleased about having met jean François Gendron. Not only has the partnership been consolidated for the race but it is to continue beyond. The patron confirms,  "We’re in this for the long-term ».
Un Maillot pour la Vie will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2010 and will continue to help put a smile on the faces of children who are in hospital "cheering up sick children by enabling them to meet top level sportsmen and women”.

Jean-François Gendron : "We have been in this from the start in our capacity as partner. This project stood out from the crowd. It is quite extraordinary for this city to experience this event, to see that folks talk about it every single day. " Sailing mad, and as a subscriber-reader of Voiles et Voiliers for the past 40 years, Jean François continues to dream ans gets out on the water whenever he can. For the time being he is doing so vicariously, via Yves Ecarlat and Lionel Regnier on Valéo Nouvelle Calédonie which not only his company but all of its clients are supporting.  "During the race we are running a weekly communication campaign with our clients across France and further afield.  We keep them up to date by e-mail of how things are going for Yves and Lionel out on the race course. We have created a club in the virtual race for our partners.  Prizes will be awarded to the best boats.”
 
Anne Sophie Toumit : "We keep up with how the boat is doing every day on the Solidaire website. Considering their background, their position is honorable, particularly after having put in to La Corogne. I know that the children are following the race too. We get loads of encouraging messages from everybody, volunteers and the children. "

28/10/09 - 22:44 -

"La Solidaire du Chocolat enables associations like ours, Toit à Moi, to rub shoulders with the competitive sport milieu, an elitist world. You can draw parallels with a boat in difficulty and which has to get going again and a person’s life. This is what we are all about. Toit à Moi is about getting people out of a dead-end situation."

Denis Castin, presisdent of the young Nantes based association "Toit à Moi", supported by the company Bel'm was in the France Bleu Loire Océan studio at lunchtime to support Thierry Bouchard and Oliver Krauss during the chat session. The skippers of Mistral Loisirs - Pole Santé Elior have unfortunately had to retire as their main track broke when they were in third place in the rankings. An almost faultless race making the decision to call it a day all the more difficult.

Extracts from the chat :

Denis Castin: "We preferred hearing them with the noise of the sea in the background. We’ve exchanged quite a few mails during the race but we didn’t want to bother them given the conditions."

Thierry Bouchard :" The folks at the association have been great with us. They were there at the start and have encouraged us a lot. It was annoying not being able to reply to their mails, but keeping the keyboard in place in a 6-7 metre swell is not easy! We’ve got a surprise for you which we’ll be sending through by mail."

Denis Castin : "We were boosted to go on beyond the Solidaire du Chocolat. We had launched another dossier, to finance a third apartment before the finish. We were trying to keep pace with the boat, which was hard. But we’re going to keep going !"

Created just two years ago in 2007, the association’s raison d’être is to find sponsors, public or private, who undertake to pay a fistful of euros a month to finance the acquisition of an apartment to provide accommodation for a homeless person. In spite of the fact that the boat has stopped somewhere in the Azores, the adventure continues. There is a challenge to be met. They need 70 people to pay 20 euros a month for a year (the equivalent in fact of 5 euros a month as donations of this sort are 75% tax deductible) and that will do the trick !

27/10/09 - 19:53 -

A special guest appeared in the France Bleu studios today in the shape of the little 9 month old Cambodian girl, nana. She underwent heart surgery on 8th October at the CHU hospital in Nantes. Full of beans she was accompanied by her "foster mum" Joëlle Leclerc Chesneau and Marie Saillard, President of the Loire Atlantique delegation of Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque. All 3 attended the radio chat session and chatted with Tanguy de Lamotte on Initiatives-Novedia who has been supporting the association actively for the past five years. Each year, some 150 children with a heart malformation are operated on thanks to the association. Most of the children come from Africa, but some also come from Laos, from Asia. One child like Nana is saved each month at the CHU in Nantes. Each operation costs around 10 000 euros, financed largely thanks to private donations and corporate sponsors. The association is not lacking in foster families but it would dearly like to carry out 2 operations a month. An appeal for donations was therefore made.

Extracts from the vacation :

- Marie : " It’s a pleasure to have you on line. We follow your every move as well you might imagine ! "

- Joëlle : " Tanguy, Nana is doing really well. She’ll be going back home soon. At night she sleeps in watches a bit like you..."

- Tanguy : " Soksobbay Nana" : "This is a polite way to say hello and how are you in Cambodian. It’s nice that everyone is there. I visited Nana in hospital before the start. Nana has to fight hard and we do our best to fight hard too. I’d like all of the gods who have helped bring you together this morning to be with us out on the water."

Oblivious to all the attention, Nana just smiled. Who knows, maybe some of the positive energy from the studio may have been sent over the air waves to the fleet leaders.

15/10/09 - 21:10 - As partner to the race and patron to the Nantes-based association Toit à Moi, Bel'M has been involved physically and socially for 10 years now in an ambitious project of environmental and social responsibility. Values of progress, open-mindedness and solidarity are deeply-rooted in the corporate culture and the minds of the 600 employees. This morning, 250 of them were present with industrial director François Guérin, race organiser  Damien Grimont and Denis Castin, chairman of the association Toit à Moi, which works to provide accommodation for homeless individuals and in providing them with genuine support. Thierry Bourchard and Oliver Krauss, will be flying the colours of this particular project. The company, an entrance door specialist, made an emotional presentation. The two skippers, no doubt fully appreciate the extent of the support and encouragement brought to them by the personnel of Bel'M, way beyond the competition itself and the sporting objectives which drive them.

02/10/09 - 12:10 -