Hugo PICARD

A Montpellier Business School graduate, Hugo Picard’s first post was as a project manager for the United Nations (UN) for four years, before he took a 90° turn by opting to devote himself to his passion: offshore racing. After a first Atlantic crossing in cruising mode, then a participation in the Clipper Round the World Race (culminating in a second place), the sailor from the Hautes-Pyrénées is today having a crack at the Mini Transat. It’s an event he views as a springboard for a career.

“Clearly, this is where you need to start if you go by the number of former Mini sailors you find today at the start of the Vendée Globe (18 out of the 33 sailors in the last edition). In any case, it’s a good way to get a leg up as it forces you to tackle all the aspects of managing a project, since you have to be a skipper, press attaché and shore team all at the same time…”, points out the skipper of the Maxi 6.50 SVB Team, who’s renowned for his vlogs using the pseudonym The Sailing Frenchman on the YouTube network, with over 126,000 followers on his dedicated sailing channel and his many sea-based exploits. Getting to the finish and sailing as cleanly as he has in his pre-season races rank among his key objectives.