OCEAN LOVER #3: Benjamin Ferré
Benjamin Ferré, a modern-day adventurer
After a solo hitchhiking trip around the world in 2012 and a crossing of the Atlantic without GPS and with energy autonomy in 2015, Benjamin Ferré is preparing to embark on the Mini-Transat La Boulangère on September 22. More than a passion, adventure has become a true way of life for this 28-year-old Breton in search of meaning. A pioneering spirit and an entrepreneurial fiber that Benjamin decided to put to the benefit of the environmental and societal cause.
How was this attraction for adventure born?
I discovered adventure in 2010 with the 4L Trophy, a pair rally across the desert. A first trigger that helped me realize that we could set up projects in a short time and experience some pretty incredible things. Two years later, I took advantage of my gap year at Skema Lille to set up a project called “Skema Globe Stoppeur”. For a year, I hitchhiked around the world, meeting former graduates of the School living abroad. I made a documentary about it called “Le Monde a porte de thumb”. Two years later, navigation seriously starting to intrigue me, I embarked on a new project with two friends: Heading West. The goal was to use lessons from the past to look toward the future. In 2015, we crossed the Atlantic on Sextant and Les Étoiles without GPS. In complete energy autonomy, we used solar panels and stopped during stopovers at schools to educate children about the environmental transition. We left Saint-Malo with a smile on our face, thinking it would take three weeks to arrive in Martinique. In the end, it took us three and a half months, knowing that none of the three of us had spent more than one night at sea on a boat before…
Experiences that made you want to go further?
On returning from this crossing, I set up “Imago” with these same two friends, namely the first adventure incubator in France which aims to bring about sporting, ecological and solidarity adventure projects. Not only did I feel this societal and environmental appetite more and more, but I also realized that there was a strong demand from people who wanted to embark on projects but who did not dare. The goal is therefore to source people who have these desires, to get them to take action and then to support them in their project, knowing that it must have a societal or environmental impact.
We started the first year with a pilot phase by incubating the project of three boys who went on a sailing tour of the Atlantic to bring bio-sand filters to Haiti. After that, we decided to launch a national call for projects each year, following which we organize the Imago Tour: a week of inspiration and collective emulation in order to immerse project leaders in the world of adventure and they leave with a well-crafted plan.
What are your main sources of inspiration?
For each of my projects, I was inspired by meetings and discussions that made me realize that my desires were possible. For “Skema Globe Stoppeur”, for example, I was inspired by Ludovic Hubler who came to give a conference at the school on his hitchhiking around the world for 5 years. I got the idea of crossing the Atlantic while talking to skippers who had embarked on the Route du Rhum. And I wanted to take on the challenge of the Mini-transat by listening to a friend of a friend recount his own experience, even though I had never set foot on a boat alone.
How do you feel when you sail?
I felt sensations at sea that I had never felt before. Already, these experiences allow me to surpass myself and tap into unsuspected resources, which is very instructive, including for everyday life. Then, it allows me to experience absolutely magical moments. Furtive moments when I am overcome with happiness, and when I realize that I am exactly where I should be. These moments, I can obviously find them in my daily life, but they are necessarily increased tenfold in adventure projects. These are fairly short experiences on the scale of an existence but which are ultra-intense and which almost represent a summary of life, as the emotions are so strong.
What does the ocean inspire you?
The sea is taking an increasingly important place in my life. I discover unique and inexplicable things there, knowing that we are sailing on a small walnut hull – our boats are 6.5 meters long – completely exposed to the will of the ocean. It allows me to gain humility in the face of Nature. Moreover, when I find myself alone at sea, I often think of what Thomas Pesquet said upon returning from his space expedition: “I saw all the beauty of the Earth but above all I felt its fragility”. I find that we also have a bit of that luck when we go to sea... On land, we intellectualize the fact that the planet must be protected, while at sea, you don't intellectualize it, you feel it fully. It's much stronger than what you can read or hear.
A memory in the water that you will never forget?
A whale dance during a race that went to the Azores. It was the first time I had gone out to sea alone for so long and I had had a big problem with my autopilot. I had been in an electronic blackout for five days and had to bar constantly. I had reached quite significant psychological fatigue, there was no more wind… And then, a whale came to play around the boat. It perked me up and allowed me to finish this race, saying to myself: “Okay, I'm at the bottom of the hole but the weather is nice and I'm still stuck on my boat in the middle of the Atlantic... How lucky to be there !"
Any Instagram accounts that you particularly like?
Those from Homeport and of Clarisse on the Atlantic .
What was the trigger that made you want to get involved in protecting the oceans?
This happened gradually... Originally, I had no environmental sensitivity but as I grew up and gained maturity, I wanted to become an actor in what was happening. Then, I think that through my different experiences, I feel indebted to Nature. My projects are increasingly oriented towards the ocean, and I want to preserve this extraordinary playground. Today, we indeed have a major challenge: that of managing the 10 tonnes of plastic that enter the ocean every second. Besides, it's quite frightening because we don't see that much waste at sea. Of course, we sometimes have to avoid plastic bags or containers but ultimately the worst is what is not visible at the naked eye: plastic microparticles.
Concretely, how does your commitment translate?
With Imago, I feel like I'm putting a stone in the building, however small it may be. Thanks to the Mini-transat, I also raise awareness among people, for example by passing messages when given the opportunity. That said, I objectively think that beyond raising awareness, we must now take action. I am therefore trying to get closer to associations like WWF or Surfrider, with whom I would like to organize concrete actions, such as litter collections on the beaches.
Are you optimistic for the future of the planet?
I am very optimistic. Man takes time to understand, often having to find his back against the wall to react. It's human... That said, I have the impression that there is at the moment a collective awareness, and that we have the human qualities, the energy and the intellectual skills to solve the problems.
And in your opinion, what solutions should be considered?
I am divided, because at the same time I find that there are many laws which restrict our freedom, to which I am very attached, and at the same time, I believe that we will have difficulty evolving if it does not There are no laws that force us to do so. In my opinion, politics has a role to play, just like citizens and businesses. I often think of Nicolas Hulot's message when he resigned. He explained, among other things, that citizens need to send a strong message to politicians, to indicate that they are aware of things but that they still have difficulty applying them individually. In fact, it is necessary to issue laws to fundamentally change things. So yes, it will certainly be restrictive, but we are ready and we absolutely must let the government know.
The best example is that of Julien Moreau who embarked on a triathlon across France to raise environmental awareness among schoolchildren. In particular, he asked the children if they had ideas for laws in favor of environmental transition. Three little girls responded that they found it absurd that they were distributing plastic bottles in schools when they had drinking water. Julien brought this bill with them to the National Assembly. As a result, plastic bottles will be banned in public schools by January 2020 in France. That's concrete.
Do you have a practical tip to pollute the sea less?
On board, I always use biodegradable soaps!
