Swiss Review 3/2021

Swiss Review / June 2021 / No.3 19 STÉPHANE HERZOG The little house that serves as AlanRo- ura’s basewhen he is in Switzerland is located high up in the port town of Versoix. It is just a stone’s throw from a suspendedmotorway and a boatyard where old sailboats are kept. Behind the gate hides an immaculately tidied workshop. Georges Roura, the father of Genevan sailor Alan Roura, works there as a tinsmith. Welcome to the abode of the Roura family. AlanRoura meets us at the door, friendly and re- laxed, having returned to dry land on 11 February after 95 days of racing across the ocean in the Vendée Globe. Let’s go back to the beginning of the story. The young Alan initially found himself on a boat for practical reasons: his parentswanted to save on rent in order to prepare for a voyage on the sea. Hewas two years oldwhen hismother, Myriam, and his father, of whom he is the only common child, bought a boat on the lake and moved in. Moored in Port-Noir, Geneva, the Almyr measured 10 metres in length. The little yacht housed both parents and the four children of this new- ly-formed family unit. Alan grew up across from La Rade, the Geneva City waterfront. “We slept three children to a 4m2 cabin at the back. It was the height of luxury,” the Genevan tells us. Having never set foot in school, he concedes, “I’mnot an intellectual.” At the weekend, the family would roam Lake Geneva, a prelude to their voy- ages on the sea. A family on the water Next to the Almyr was moored the Ludmila, a yacht measuring 12.5 me- tres. The family purchased and reno- vated it before heading off to Port-Ca- margue. “My father dreamt of setting sail. He was not a sailor, or someone who read taleswritten by sailors. He is someone who lives for himself, not through others. He obtained his sail- ing licence, and we learnt everything on the sea.” At the time of departure, the family had no set plan. The Lud- mila carried the whole family, except the eldest sister, who stayed inGeneva, to theWest Indies. The trip took a year, with the father teachingmathematics and the mother teaching French. Af- ter four years of travelling, the Rouras returned briefly to Europe, only to set off for the Caribbean again. Their in- tentionwas towork at each stop along the way in order to fill the kitty. Working for a nabob in the Caribbean The family was now travelling with two children aboard. Theymade their way following thewinds and thework. InVenezuela, sevenmonths of work in Alan Roura, a child of the sea In January, Swiss sailor Alan Roura completed his second Vendée Globe, an extreme offshore race, again as the youngest participant. Son of a tinsmith, Roura’s sailing journey began on a houseboat moored in Geneva. Genevan sailor Alan Roura never went to school. Everything he needed to know, he learned at sea. Photo: Keystone