Our team
Members of the Board
President
Martine Sanchez
My volunteer work at the Seamen’s Club of Port-de-Bouc began in 1991.
With my cousin we had decided to replace my goddaughter who had gone to England to the seafarers’ home in Liverpool.
It was there that we met Philippe Plantevin, Jacques Pelletier, Jacques Brosset, priests of the club, all of them with a heart full of love for the seafarers. These men who were away from their families (wife, children, parents, etc.) for 9 to 12 months came to spend a moment of relaxation in the centre where they could finally laugh, talk about everything and anything with volunteers and employees listening to them, play, buy either in the club or in the shop, see other men and women, sing, or have a drink.
This warm atmosphere I felt during the evenings where my daughters and my husband were present made me develop a loving attachment for these sailors from all over the world and whose life is so much more difficult than our everyday life. since then, my interaction with the association has become even stronger.
Vice President
Juan Martinez
I have been immersed in the the port and maritime world since I was a child; my maternal grandfather was first in the merchant navy and afterwards a bosun at the Dunkirk towing company. My father worked at the Dunkirk Autonomous Sea Port – our car only knew the departures and returns via the Dunkirk docks.
Maritime and Port business have certainly become a passion for me which has allowed me to share exceptional moments for more than 40 years in my professional life in Fos as well as abroad.
Thanks to this passion I have always been in contact with the Seamen’s Club of Port-de-Bouc, driving some sailors who could not afford a taxi. As President of the Port’s Committee on Health, Safety and Working Conditions, I also tried to relaunch the Fos base in the Darse 2 seayard and get it up and running again. The project didn’t succeed during my presidency but it is only postponed since the project is still on the agenda. This is one of the reasons for my commitment, as well as being able to give help and support to the seafarers when in port, which is very important for their comfort. In my opinion this is a vital link and this is the reason why the volunteers are essential actors in the well-being of the seafarers.
Welcome to the Club and a big Bravo to the volunteers!
Secretary
Claude Madelenat
Because I live in Fos-sur-Mer, and have worked in Port-de-Bouc in a maritime agency, it seemed obvious to me to become a member of this beautiful association which makes the hard living conditions of the merchant seafarers more pleasant.
Now retired, I am happy to make myself useful and share my experience and knowledge of the maritime world. What a pleasure it is to meet such wonderful people in the Club regularly.
Treasurer
Michèle Bezin-Floret
Time flies…we are already old! But useful…useful, still a little bit. I go to the Club with a joyful heart, so that our sailors finally, after months being away, finally experience a bit of warmth, a moment of joy; smiles and greetings in Turkish, Russian, Greek, Indian, Filipino, English, Italian… in this unknown place, nothing makes them feel better, it’s like being at home for them, happy for a few hours. Exchanging, sharing… happiness!
External relations
François Bascove
When I reached the age of retirement in 2005, Sister Jeanne, a nun from the parish of Martigues, spoke to us (because I was speaking a little English) about the Seamen’s Club and the need to help and welcome seafarers at the GPMM’s western docks. This is how our (my wife and I) involvement at the Seafarer’s Centre began, first as volunteers, then as president for seven years. My initial motivation was of course to do my best in helping and welcoming men and sometimes women far from their families, almost lost at the end of the world. But quickly we added to this a great satisfaction and joy, thanks to the warm exchanges we were able to have with the seafarers who came from the four corners of the planet.
Beyond the welcome itself, we were able to help seafarers in difficulty (sick, injured or abandoned ships), but in return, what joy and pleasure during these memorable evenings of conviviality, filled with music and songs to celebrate any event. To be short, it is as much giving as receiving, and the journey continues.
Finally, we are sorely lacking in volunteers, so if you feel like it, “Join us! “You won’t be disappointed!
Staff
Philippe Bodin
Patrick Llebot
Cyril Der Nazarian
Jean-François Sanchez
Claude Guillardeau
Volunteers
Annie Floret-Bezin
Hello, I am Annie, the volunteer grandmother and I discovered the Seamen’s Club by chance.
I have been coming to the Club for 14 years; I love the evenings spent with all the seafarers from all over the world, their kindness and modesty make them compassionate and adorable people.
It is always an evening of extraordinary conviviality, speaking a little English, a smile and we always understand each other with our hearts
I can’t wait to go back!!
Marie-Cécile Lhuillier
I had a friend who was a volunteer at the Seamen’s Club and she used to tell me about the encounters with the seafarers. She said that the Club was a very pleasant place and the volunteers were very friendly.
I was born in the east of France and worked in road transport, so I knew absolutely nothing about the world of the sea!
So as soon as I retired, I joined the Seamen’s Club of Port-de-Bouc, a very warm and friendly place.
Welcoming the sailors, talking to them, getting to know their job, their problems, giving them information, sometimes getting to know their families over the telephone… all this is very rewarding.
For me, it is pure joy to share these moments with sailors from all over the world. What strikes me most is that despite their harsh and difficult life, most of them always have a smile on their face! It’s a real lesson in life.
Gabrielle Madelenat
Having always lived on the shores of the beautiful blue Mediterranean, I’ve felt drawn to the sea ever since I was a child.
As my husband spent his entire career in the maritime world, we came to encounter and receive many foreigners of all nationalities. I said to myself, why not volunteer in the activities of the Seamen’s Club of Port-de-Bouc – this welcoming, warm place – and bring a little sunshine to warm up the lives of these sailors who are so far away from home!
Yves Blanc
René Salla
François Verdeil