When you are passionate about something, you like to push the limits. This is what two students are going to do. Nathan Marvaud and Benjamin Blouet, students at EM Lyon, have decided to cross part of the Mediterranean (from Saint-Raphaël to Corsica). The aim of the Corsikite project? To raise money for the association “Y’a de la houle” which introduces young autistic people in Lyon to sailing.
Friends who see far ahead
The adventure begins in Douai, in the North of France. Nathan and Benjamin are friends and attend the same preparatory school. They are passionate about sailing, but do not practice much. They wanted to enter the same business school and that’s what happened. They entered EM Lyon and it was through the sailing club that they discovered the “Y’a de la houle” project. The YDLH wants to introduce autistic children to sailing. Outings on the Grand Parc de Miribel-Jonage lake are organised in catamarans. The association also organises meals and petanque sessions to get the children out of their daily lives.
This club, which puts people first, fascinates the two young students who want to help. It was during one of their courses that the idea of crossing the Mediterranean germinated in their heads. They talked to their friends about it and a group of 8 quickly formed to set up the project. They look for funding, study their project as well as possible and even manage to obtain funding from major kitesurfing brands.
A precise logistic can then be put in place to make the project a success. First, they had to find the equipment. Initially, the two young men planned a boat crossing. But faced with the mysteries of the weather, they preferred to turn to kitesurfing, which is easier to deal with the natural elements and find solutions in case of problems. When there is no wind, we swim! The foil can handle a little weather. In short, they think that the kite is the easiest to face the weather conditions and decide for this material. But then a problem arose: they did not practice foiling! So they had to learn. They started on the lake of the Grand Parc de Miribel-Jonage and then moved to the Mediterranean to train in a real situation. In 6 months, they became very good practitioners.
Little by little, everything is falling into place and the two young men are ready to leave at the end of October, beginning of November. Depending on the weather conditions, but also their training. They even have a sponsor: the navigator Eric Bellion. The French Free Flight Federation has given its approval.
Everything is ready (or almost)!
The two men are not the only ones to cover this distance. Several have already completed this “route”, including Mayeul Riffe, Marc Blanc and Raphaël Salles. But the Corsikite project has the particularity, first of all, of being prepared by students. Then it is a question of collecting funds to help young people in Lyon with disabilities to discover sailing, to go on outings and to organise all the related activities. Another particularity: the fact that the two students were introduced to kitesurfing a short time ago. It is therefore a multi-faceted exploit!
The project will start in Saint-Raphaël. The students were inspired by the crossings of Marc Blanc and Raphaël Salles to develop their route. In view of their passion, Marc Blanc even gave them precious advice on how to succeed and how to deal with any difficulties they might encounter. The duration of the crossing will depend on the conditions and can range from 8 to 20 hours.
They still need some money before starting the adventure. They have to think about the equipment, which must obviously be particularly professional. They also have to consider the boat that will accompany them to deal with any problems that may arise on the open sea. And the various participants, some of whom will obviously have to be paid.
To tell the story of their crossing, the students are planning a mini-series that will be broadcast on Instagram. Their training is also visible on YouTube.
Today we are in the final logistical preparations, the last training sessions of the two protagonists and the collection of the money that is still missing, before going into action. This should not take long, depending also on the weather.
EM Lyon, the families of the young autistic people and many other people who are passionate about foiling are already impatient to see this charitable feat, which combines sport and generosity, become a reality.