{"id":18778,"date":"2023-04-21T14:49:54","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T14:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/?p=18778"},"modified":"2024-05-17T10:17:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T10:17:48","slug":"the-outremer-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/the-outremer-family\/","title":{"rendered":"The Outremer Family"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Author: Nikki Henderson<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Outremer Week is a biannual event in La Grande Motte. It is organised by the team at Outremer and consists of five days of various training sessions for future owners. Generally, it\u2019s followed by Outremer Cup, a weekend regatta, which attracts the interest of owners who are keen to see how they and their Outremer perform in a competitive environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

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I have been looking forward to writing a blog about these annual events<\/a> for a long time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat makes you so enthusiastic about reporting on a weeks\u2019 training in La Grande Motte ?\u201d You may be thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The process of buying an Outremer is an experience. Every finished boat \u2013 whilst made from identical hull mouldings \u2013 ends up being a bespoke product, carefully shaped to the owners\u2019 requirements. Yet, this is not a superyacht factory. The boats are not each unique because of the thread count in the linens, the size of sun decks, or the fit out of the bathrooms. They are unique because they are being built for liveaboard blue water cruising. Outremer are not just manufacturing boats; they are building robust, comfortable homes. Each one has its own quirks and layouts to suit their owners\u2019 needs of \u2018working from home\u2019 (should we create a new WFH abbreviation \ud83e\udc6a WFA [working from aboard]?), educating their children, storing their family \u2018toys\u2019 (dive gear, surf\/wind\/kite boards, Lego, golf clubs, bikes), and cooking up family meals \u2013 all whilst sailing safely and efficiently sailing to some of the most remote places on this planet.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Anyone can build a boat, but to build a boat that\u2019s a home requires something deeper. I believe this deeper \u2018something\u2019 is Outremer\u2019s unique selling point, and the reason that up until now they have been so successful. What this \u2018something\u2019 is \u2013 is a culture that values community, closeness, and family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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Originally Outremer was a family business.<\/span><\/h4>\n

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That \u2018family\u2019 value has been the glue within the organisation over the years. The 40-year-old sign still hangs above the original factory. Matthieu \u2013 the longest standing employee \u2013 practically lives in the Outremer office \u2013 somewhat out of choice and not just necessity. All the leadership team choose to spend their family holidays sailing on the boats that they are building. It is this kind of behaviour that contributes to the culture that is so critical to Outremer. It will be interesting to see how the company retains this intimacy as the company grows and expands.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Just as it would be inaccurate to assume that Outremer was just a catamaran manufacturer, it is equally over simplistic to consider the Outremer Weeks as simply five days of training. As is often the case with these types of events, there is so much more to it than what is on the surface. Over the last three years, I have realised that these events are really the cornerstone to nurturing this closeness between the organisation and the owners. The training is a bonus, but the real reason to attend \u2013 is to immerse yourself within this deeper \u2018something\u2019 \u2013 to become part of the Outremer family.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Of course, that isn\u2019t to say the trainings aren\u2019t incredibly useful. I \u2013 like the rest of the skippers – tend to spend most of the week training on the water. Each day we meet five or so future owners and their family members over coffee and croissants, head out to the various boats on the harbour masters\u2019 pontoon and set out for a day\u2019s coaching. Typically, the whole day runs from 8:30am until 5:30pm.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We cover everything from maneuvering the Outremers in the port and onto various docks, to sail changes, spinnaker training, anchoring, navigation \u2013 the list is almost endless. Of course, we can\u2019t fit everything into one day so we tend to focus on one or two main topics. Naturally there are different styles amongst the various skippers. One common remark I hear is that there is a strong divide between the French and the Anglo skippers when it comes to the length of the lunch break! But jokes aside, this variation in style only benefits the students. Throughout my career, I have benefitted from sailing with a multitude of different sailors and skippers \u2013 learning from them different techniques and ways to do things. The beauty of sailing (and perhaps the irritation for a beginner at times) is that there is often more than one correct way to do something. So learning to sail is a case of filling your \u2018toolbox\u2019 (as a metaphor) with various tools learnt with each experience on the water. Take what you like and leave what you don\u2019t and then eventually build your own unique style.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Meanwhile on shore, the remaining participants of the Outremer Week<\/a> rotate around the other various classes. Everyone reports good things from them, but I have heard that the weather class is an absolute must. There are medical courses run by the telemedical provider M.S.O.S, diesel engine maintenance courses, basic electrical courses, navigation instrument information classes, rigging and splicing classes \u2013 and probably a few more that I\u2019m forgetting.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There is a kind of magic that is conjured up when you put into the same environment 100 people all working towards a similar goal. When that goal happens to be a common dream born of the heart \u2013 the magic is explosive. Outremer has managed to create a brand that targets such a specific niche market: aspiring family orientated serious blue water cruisers. Most of these future owners are planning on living on their boats \u2013 at least part time. This means they are not just working towards a holiday venture, or a side project \u2013 they are working towards something that is going to utterly transform their lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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This shared hunger for blue water sailing not only unites the participants at the Outremer Week, but it ignites them.<\/span><\/h4>\n

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All day I have the pleasure of listening to everyone sharing stories: \u201cwhat boat are you getting?\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s your plan?\u201d \u201cWe are selling our house too!\u201d \u201cAre you getting a dog?\u201d \u201cWhat route are you taking?\u201d \u201cPerhaps we should plan to sail in convoy?\u201d \u201cJoin our rally!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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After the initial excitement of meeting dozens of like-minded people subsides, true friendships start to form. Speckled around La Grande Motte at dinner time each night are groups of near strangers, sharing a meal like they have known each other for years. Just this recent September, my own new friends and future owners kindly invited me to dinner \u2013 a significant improvement on my microwaved dinner in my solo apartment! What began as a dinner with three of us, grew to include two children, another couple, another friend who was there without his wife \u2013 and then as we entered the restaurant, we bumped into yet another future owner and he joined us at the table \u2013 realising his takeaway pizza was better shared. Suddenly we were a rowdy group of nine!<\/span><\/p>\n

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This inclusive atmosphere amongst the owners aligns with the organisation itself \u2013 in fact, they overlap. Most days, both over morning coffee and an evening aperitif, the Outremer staff socialise with the future owners. Everyone from the CEO to the intern join at one point or another. It is the same as when a boat is launched, and the painters, the chippies, the electricians, the engineers, the boat designers and the lead project manager all share in the joy of seeing their creation float. The line begins to blur between \u2018client\u2019 and \u2018vendor\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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So, if you are considering whether or not to attend an Outremer Week<\/a> as you prepare for the delivery of your boat, I can only encourage you. But come for the best reasons. Yes, you will learn, and you will train. But if you look for it, there is a deeper value to be found from these weeks. Embrace the after-class glass of rose, socialise with your fellow future owners, don\u2019t forget to get to know the Outremer team too, and immerse yourself in this community. There is such a beauty in being part of something bigger than just you \u2013 whether you are a customer, a contractor, or the CEO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I look forward to the next edition of Outremer Week when I will return to La Grande Motte \u2013 where I now know I will find the strangely paradoxical combination of questionable concrete architecture, and a warm enveloping sense of home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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