Interview with Patrick Guérin, between Guadeloupe and Hawaii, between yoga and pirogue

Hi Patrick, you are known for your passion of ocean and paddle sports, can you tell us a little bit more about you? 

I was born and grew up on the doorstep of Marseille. Lovers of adventure and distant horizons, I quickly anticipated my call and joined the marine infantry paratroopers. For 20 years I have lived unforgettable experiences, as much on a human level as on the level of discoveries from various continents. My family and I came to Guadeloupe with the army for three years in '98 and have stayed there ever since.

Today you live in Guadeloupe, how did you come to this Caribbean island, what does this place represent for you? 

We arrived in 1998, military transfer to Camp de la Jaille (RSMA) for three years. Since then, after 20 years with the paratroopers, they didn't transfer me where I wanted. I've been working as a Harbormaster at the Lower Fort Marina since then. Attracted by the sea and yachting, being on an island and being surrounded by a blue sea has always been my desire.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your history with the outrigger canoe? 

2012 is the year of my beginnings, I give my first paddle strokes in SUP and very quickly I become addicted to long Down Wind and Ocean Racing races. In 2015, I got my first Outrigger Canoe, a splendid Pueo from WOO .... 
Self-taught, I am passionate about this new practice and I participate in all types of races in Guadeloupe and ... elsewhere.

  

I understand you're planning competitions like the Te Aito or the Molokai hoe. What approach do you have with the competition, what are your goals? 

Indeed, after two years of oc1 practice, in 2017 I take part in my first Kaiwi Solo - Molokai OC1 World Championship in Hawaii and I finish my race on the podium in third place in my age category, an unforgettable race, 75 pirogues at the finish, a mythical course between the island of Molokai and Oahu, a very small champion among the very big ones at the presentation of the results.
From there the virus of the beautiful competitions is in me ... all alone on my excellent spot I train regularly, 6 days a week, to be at level all year long and keep my main goal:  Hawaii. 
I am also present at all the meetings in Guadeloupe: 
- Ocean Racing Champion for two years in Guadeloupe and Martinique 
- Ze Race ( a nice second place this year) 
- Karukera Kayak Challenge 
- Salt River Marathon 
- Raid of the leeward coast etc ... 
and the French championships...
this year I just bought a Vaa fai3x to master this traditional practice in order to be able to do Te Aito. Learn to paddle on a Va'a, like a pilgrimage, to know the origin and the essence of the paddle stroke.

I heard you're a yoga instructor, how did you discover the practice of yoga?  How has yoga impacted your life and your canoe practice?

Yoga brings me a fullness, a coherence with myself. The practice of Yoga and the philosophy that flows from it offers me a real openness to others and the necessary distance to better understand the world and its turpitudes.
Beyond the subtle and deep dimensions that Yoga brings to me, my physical and breathing practices from Yoga are obvious allies in my physical and mental preparation for each competition.
My relationship to yoga is such that its transmission has become so important. The trigger came to me thanks to the discovery of a Yoga that I consider to be authentic coming from the Vicitra method (https://guadeloupe.vicitra.yoga ). I have the chance to transmit a Yoga that brings the physical, respiratory, mental and spiritual dimensions.