Lined up on the blue Biotherm monohull, the kids are smiling. A little over two weeks before the start of the Vendée Globe – the solo, unassisted round-the-world trip – Paul Meilhat, one of the 40 sailors entered, is a host like no other. With the financial support of the Surfrider foundation, the skipper who grew up in Île-de-France launched the “l’école Bleue” program, which each year allows hundreds of children to discover the practice of sailing and to be aware of the preservation of the oceans.