Meet Denis' Transat Jacques Vabre co-skipper: Gilles Buekenhout
At 61, Gilles Buekenhout is a man with multiple talents, skillfully combining architectural plans and vast seascapes. Of Belgian origin, Gilles chose to live in Pornichet, France in 1996, lured by his passion for sailing. The sea with its air of mystery and its challenges, has always appealed to him, prompting him to take part in four editions of the legendary Route du Rhum on a trimaran. We meet Denis Van Weynbergh’s co-skipper on the IMOCA D’Ieteren Group.
Gilles’ first maritime emotions date back to his early childhood with an inflatable boat and then an adolescence spent windsurfing. “I have always been drawn to the sea and spa towns. We don’t have mountains in Belgium, so I spent my holidays in Knocke.” His passion quickly expanded to wider horizons with a steady succession of acquisitions of more seaworthy boats with which to venture further afield. “I started out by purchasing a small boat, which was based in Ostend. I’m completely self-taught, a ‘self-made man’ if you like. Then I decided that this little boat was too small for offshore sailing, so I bought a second and then a third…”
Gilles ultimately turned his attentions towards racing on his arrival in France, a country which has sparked his competitive side. The races along the Atlantic coast became his playground.
His transatlantic debut on a trimaran in the 2010 Route du Rhum revealed the true extent of his talent. Gilles’ relationship with sailing is not without its share of challenges, punctuated by moments of glory and episodes where the ocean’s supremacy proves all-encompassing. From broken rudders to capsizes just a few boat lengths from the finish in 2022, he has experienced the highs and lows of offshore racing. However, Gilles always manages to bounce back by applying the adage: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! “I’ve never had sponsors. My projects have always been self-funded, which is not quite the same thing. It’s a big financial, personal, physical and psychological investment.”
In addition to his life as a sailor, Gilles is an accomplished architect, heading up his own firm of seven associates, including his wife, who shares his passion for architecture. Specialising in residential accommodation in Pornichet and La Baule, he finds a sense of harmony between the art of constructing buildings and that of navigating the oceans.
His demanding professional life influences the management of his projects: precision, forward planning, responsibility and at times the solitude of the entrepreneur. Gilles embodies the daring of an intrepid sailor-architect, whose two roles have forged his strength of character. “I’ve found myself replying to work emails during transatlantic races. I don’t have a team, a boat maintenance worker or anyone. In the week I’m an architect, at weekends I tinker on my boat. She was my size of boat: a 40-foot multihull that was quick and perfectly suited to my activity. I love the technical side of things as it taps into the entrepreneurship idea; being on your own and dealing with everything yourself.”
Gilles’ atypical journey through life – from a childhood in Zaire to studies in Brussels, non-military national service in Morocco, an architect’s post at Brussels airport, to a boat repair business and, finally, his own architectural firm in Pornichet reflects a life driven by a constant quest for new challenges.
Sometimes, it’s all down to chance, opportunities and meetings. Gilles’ encounter with Denis dates back around ten years. “We met in 2010 on a barge in Paris. As Belgian sailors, we soon bonded. Back then, he was in Class40, whilst I was in Multi”. Since then, they’ve maintained their bond, following one another’s maritime adventures from afar. “When I saw that he’d joined Class IMOCA, I said to myself that he’d entered the big league as there’s clearly a high level. “Getting on board D’Ieteren Group’s project, the sailor-architect is keen to help out with it and complete his third transatlantic passage of the year.