Claire Fountaine: Celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Fountaine Pajot

As a woman leading one of the biggest world production of boats for more than 25 years, Claire Fountaine has seen many beautiful, but also hard moments, steering the Fountaine Pajot Group to their 50th anniversary. We had a pleasure to share her thoughts for such an important jubilee.

YOU GREW UP WITH SAILING COMMUNITY AROUND, WHAT DID THIS BRING TO YOU PERSONALLY?
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve felt drawn to the sea, to the water and the world around it. I’ve been sailing almost all my life, having first discovered it on a lake in the Landes region, then in southern Brittany off Ile aux Moines, and on the River Marne, to the east of Paris. Boating gave me a great sense of independence, along with a desire for freedom and a thirst for discovery. I discovered sailing both at sea and on lakes and rivers, in a wide variety of locations, honing my skills on racing boats fairly early on and then cruising. I never stopped sailing competitively at a high level, on a wide variety of waters around the world, then cruising in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the west coast of the USA, Canada, Africa, Cape Horn, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, the Hebrides and Arcadia. Being passionate about the sea and the world of boats, I followed the shipyard very closely, both in the construction of the boats and in its own development. The shipyard grew from its beginnings as a small workshop in 1976, building sailing dinghies, followed by half-tonners, offshore racing catamarans, and then, as a natural progression as it expanded, cruising catamarans in the 1980s and early 1990s. It is also, and above all, a human adventure.

CAN YOU REFLECT ON WORK WITH THE FRENCH OLYMPIC TEAM IN SAILING?
At the same time, my work as a teacher led me to train many young people in competitive sailing in La Rochelle. This then led me to become head of Sport Études Voile in La Rochelle, and to support the French team at the Olympic Games in Athens and Beijing. It was a thrilling, demanding experience to select and support the sailors and their coaches all the way to the Olympics, striving for excellence. It was a team effort based on collaboration, and was always characterised by rigour, transparency and respect for people. It was a great source of satisfaction to guide the youngest athletes to the highest level and the most talented ones to success at the Olympics by winning medals and titles. It was, above all, a human and collective journey, but also a quest for high standards and performance.

WHAT DID YOU BRING TO THE COMPANY FROM THESE EXPERIENCES?
As Chair of the Board of Directors at Fountaine Pajot since 2014, my previous experiences have enabled me to instil rigour and a focus on quality among the teams working towards the same goals, with respect and kindness. 

YOU TOOK THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN THE YEAR OF 2000, STEERING THE GROUP FOR MORE THAN HALF OF THE EXISTENCE. CAN YOU PLEASE NAME THE MOST CHALLENGING MOMENTS WHICH YOU REMEMBER?
A company’s journey is never one long, smooth road – there are many different phases. Companies always experience different periods of growth and slowdown. You’ve got to know how to adapt, innovate, take calculated risks and trust the teams, just as in sailing. Everyone must be able to express themselves in their own field, to contribute according to their skills. During challenging times such as financial crises, a downturn in business, or conversely periods of very high demand, we need to recruit, find competent people and train them to enable growth. We’ve also got to know how to scale back without losing staff and to adapt accordingly.

CAN YOU NAME THE MOST JOYFUL MOMENTS TOO?
There have been so many memorable moments. The happier, more festive moments are also a great source of satisfaction. At the Owners’ Rendezvous, seeing boat owners from all over the world enjoying sailing on their boats, listening to their stories of their many cruises and chatting with them – all of this gives such interesting feedback. It also gives me enormous satisfaction to see boats that have left the shipyard sailing across the world’s oceans or into the most secluded coves. I’m also very proud to see these high-quality boats, built by our staff with the utmost care, on display at open days and evening events attended by their families. Seeing the pride of a father or mother who works at the shipyard, showing their children their workstation, showing their children the catamaran they’ve built, showing their family the catamaran they’ve built, walking around the workstations and chatting with the people working in the workshops or at the various sites when I visit, it is a real pleasure, and is very informative and exciting.

CAN YOU SHORTLY DESCRIBE THE JOURNEY OF THE FP GROUP?
Starting out from a small workshop in 1976 with the construction of 505s, 420s and then 470s for competition, followed by Half-tonners and Quarter-tonners, then ocean racing boats, and finally cruising catamarans, was the founding element. Bringing joy to people who sail on agile boats with flattering designs, beautiful lines, space, great comfort and light, while remaining true to our DNA: the balance between performance and the pleasure of sailing. Today, we have four production sites, 1,600 employees and shareholdings in various companies. The yard has become a Group, yet we still uphold a philosophy and a management style on a human scale. 

PROTECTING OF THE SEA IS IMPORTANT, HOW DO YOU SEE IT?
The other challenge is to continue our roadmap regarding eco-sailing and carbon-neutral cruising. We have been pioneers in this field, having always been deeply mindful of the sea, the landscapes, its protection and the environment around it. This has naturally led us to pay particular attention to all these elements in order to protect the ocean. This applies both to the preservation and respect of biodiversity through our commitment to the WWF for the protection and preservation of Posidonia alongside the WWF, and to the use and construction of our boats: Through innovation: eco-cruising, then smart electric, and today our solution developed and also used by other builders: ODSea+. So we’re working and making progress on all fronts to reduce our carbon footprint through an energy transition and electric boats, as well as within the factory, whilst adapting to the evolving needs of sailors with ever more innovations in our products and in response to practical requirements. We also have a responsibility to make a long-term commitment to our owners, who know that by purchasing a Fountaine Pajot, they will receive the quality and signature they expect, along with a certain pride in belonging to our family.

WE HAD A PLEASURE OF SEEING YOU IN CROATIA, BUT WHERE IS YOUR HOME SAILING AREA? AND SOME WORDS ON CROATIA?
I’ve sailed in many places, all over the world. I’ll start with the Gulf of Morbihan, as that’s where I really discovered the sea, sailing between the islands. It was a great learning experience when I was young, teaching me about everything from currents to self-reliance. There are many special places, with so many memories created by the crews themselves, but I have a particular fondness for Croatia, for the landscapes of the Croatian islands, their history, their heritage and their very different stories. I have also sailed very often along the Croatian coast, discovering every island, every cove, every anchorage. The Kornati Islands, the Krka River and its waterfalls, Brač, Trogir, Hvar  with its heritage and coves, Vis, Lastovo and all its anchorages, Mljet and its monastery, Korčula and of course, Dubrovnik. And finally, the Fountaine Pajot owners’ rendezvous in Croatia, among the islands of Šolta, otok Drvenik Veli and Brač – an unforgettable experience thanks to the conversations with owners, the places we discovered in Croatia. All of this made for sharing some truly wonderful times.