Share a part of the life of our collaborators by discovering their hobbies! This month, let's talk about Thierry Julienne, consultant for our Nantes agency, and his passion for watersports.

What is your double life?

I do several watersports, mainly surfing and stand-up paddle boarding ("SUP").

When and how did you start?

I first started bodyboarding when I was about 10 years old, then at 15 I started surfing, more precisely longboarding, an ideal type of board to learn. I then turned to shorter and thinner boards to gain speed and control in the waves. More recently, I also started SUP touring, which offers a very good alternative in the absence of weather conditions favorable to surfing. I also sometimes go out in a sea kayak.

What do you like about this hobby?

I like to be confronted with the natural elements and tell myself that it's up to me to adapt to the conditions of the day in order to enjoy my time in the water. I enjoy the feeling of speed when I break a wave in the surf and the happiness of the effort I put in to get there.

When I go SUPing on a calm day, I like to enjoy the quietness of the morning and watch each paddle move me forward. Another benefit of SUP is that I can take my daughters out on the board and teach them some basic water balance skills while sharing a moment on the water with them.

And in your daily life, how does your passion fit in?

Living in Nantes, I can easily reach the sea on weekends to enjoy my passion.

When I was a teenager and even after, almost all my life revolved around surfing: organizing trips to the seaside with friends, getting up at the crack of dawn to enjoy perfect waves before the wind gets up, evening sessions until sunset (I even remember some sessions finished by the light of our cars' headlights, parked facing the sea!), express trips to the coast after work during the week...

I have less time nowadays but I regularly go to the seaside with my family on weekends, and I always manage to make at least one outing in the weekend. This requires a good organization to be well timed according to the tides and the weather conditions. The fact that I have evolved my practice by adding the SUP to my bow also teaches me how to combine family life and passion.

Have you acquired skills that you use in your professional life?

Surfing is a sport that requires perseverance and patience, like many projects. It takes a lot of effort to reach the waves and break them. Once the goal is reached, the pleasure you get only confirms that all the effort was worth it. I find this same pleasure when I am confronted to a difficult situation on a project and that it ends up unraveling through abnegation.

Moreover, surfing and SUP are two sports that require a good preparation and a good analysis and anticipation of the weather conditions, in order to be in the best possible position to have a good time and not to put yourself in danger. Anticipating and planning ahead are also the guidelines I follow on a daily basis for my projects to make them as safe as possible

Thank you Thierry for answering our questions!