The many faces of Olivier de Kersauson

by Andrea Francolini on 12 Jul 2005 French trimaran Geronimo’s first Challenge is officially over and during the press conference on Monday, French sailing legend and skipper of Geronimo, Oliver de Kersauson, did not hide his fears of having three Aussie sailors with little multihull experience onboard before their record setting voyage around Australia started.

The language barrier was no small obstacle - especially if an emergency arose. Nevertheless, all went well and at the end, Olivier was happy about this new experience.

I have to admit that I think he was even proud of them, due to the sparkle in his eyes when looking at the ‘three blokes from Oz’

As a photographer, my job is to observe my subjects. When working with people whom I admire, the job becomes a lot of fun - and that is where the passion comes out.

I have met many famous sailors from different backgrounds and experiences and the fascination never seems to stop.

A capacity to attack whatever nature tosses those special sailors is impressive. When back on land, some express their feelings, others....well; it is up to us to read their looks and reactions.

On my behalf, I can only say that it was a pleasure to work closely with Olivier, (or should I say he let me work with him) and his team

‘Merci les gas et A+’ and see you somewhere around the world!

All the images of this adventure can be seen on www.afrancolini.com
Key word: Geronimo

Andrea