Francois Chalain, development director of Groupe Beneteau, one of the world's biggest boatbuilders, which also includes the highly successful Jeanneau boats, says world-wide growth is due, in part, to the company being led by a woman.

"At the top of Beneteau is a lady. This makes us think and feel differently from other boatbuilding companies, " says Francois Chalain, who has worked for Beneteau for 30 years.

The current president of Beneteau is Annette Roux, whose grandfather founded the company in 1884.

"In some ways the company is dedicated to the ladies, possibly because of the presence of Madame Roux, who has an enormous and beneficial influence on the business, " said Chalain. "So the company is always thinking about the ladies. Mr Customer is important too, of course. But if we don't have Mrs Customer, then we are lost.

"We simply won't sell a boat if she says 'non!' If she says 'I don't want a boat, I want an apartment', then the chances are our prospective buyers will end up buying a flat.

"So we have to try and build into the boat attractive points which will appeal especially to the ladies. I have to be careful. I'm giving you too many of my secrets! The competition is very hot. These are the things which make us so successful."

According to Chalain, Beneteau is doing a great deal of business. "Our success is due to customer orientation, sticking closely to what they want. We look carefully at how our customers live, their needs, how they use their boat, what they can expect if they buy one."

In truth, he told me, the customer has no imagination.

So you have to have images in your head, you have to have imagination for them, a certain creativity in your mind, which will appeal to them.

A funny bird The problem of attracting the ladies is not a simple one, he said. It is not a problem that is easy to manage because the lady is a funny - how shall I say?

- a funny bird - and you never know how to catch her, he said.

"The ladies are much cleverer than the men. What she has, what she requests, in the bottom of her mind, is something very functional, easy to use. For example, in our toilets, we build a little wastebin into the door of the toilet. So you can put in cotton wool and so on, just as if the lady is at home.

Surely building wastebins into toilets is obvious, I asked?

You would have thought so, said Chalain, but nobody does it.

"Oh, after 30 years perhaps it's becoming obvious, and maybe other builders are beginning to steal our ideas.

But ladies still have to drag little boxes into the toilets on other boats to put their rubbish in. It's ridiculous. So it was obvious we had to do something."

At Beneteau, it's the detail that counts. Kitchen rolls in the galley. A little shelf to store oils and vinegar; all the things used in the kitchen.

"If we don't think about them the ladies say 'Oh, I hate boats, they're not for us'. The size and the angle of the mirror in the toilet, these are important too, so they can put on their make-up and their lipstick."

Some of Monsieur Chalain's inspiration seems to come from his wife, Odile.

"I have seen how long it takes my wife to get ready to go sailing. One day my wife and I were on a Beneteau 42 in a gale, against the wind, running on the engine, between Toulon and Corsica. It was blowing really hard, a strong sea.

"At 6.30 in the morning Odile woke up. She had been sleeping through the night and right through all the noise, the boom, boom, boom, as we hit the waves. No problem. As she came on deck a big wave hit her from behind, completely soaking her.

"She simply went inside and did what she does every morning at home. She got the teapot, pulled out the bread, and we had a good breakfast.

Everything's normal.

"Then she disappears into our cabin, and 10 minutes later reappears, looking perfect, with her make-up and lipstick all done, and telling me 'It's my watch. . . it's time you went and had some sleep'."

French attitudes The interview covered other aspects. A big problem facing the industry is the shortage of berths. Chalain was critical of French attitudes.

"In Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain, there is space. In France they are crazy. They don't want to develop any more berths. It will be a major problem for builders, dealers and customers. In France everything is full. Customers are now going to dealers and saying 'I want to buy a boat but I want you to give me a berth'.

It's that bad.

"And yet everywhere in Europe there is an aspiration from people that one day they might own their own boat. We have a great future. It's all before us. The demand is incredible. So something has to be done about berths.

Especially in France. If world economies are doing well people will try and buy a boat.

And they want bigger and bigger boats. Of that there is no doubt."

A greater worry - which may be settled by the time you read this - is Iraq. "It's a nasty question. Obviously it goes beyond the boat industry. But in the industry oil is used in everything, aluminium, winches, plastic, half the cost of a boat is the engine. I worry about the knock-on effect on prices.

"Every time we reduce the cost of our boats by 10% we double our sales. We have sold 1200 Oceanis 411s. That's fantastic. They each cost about ? 200,000. Or £140,000 in sterling. It's a competitive price.

"The average size of boat we build has gone up by two metres in ten years. This reflects the demand for bigger boats, and an increasing affluence on the part of customers."

Soon Monsieur Chalain was back on one of his favourite subjects; women. And the importance of the family unit in the boat industry. Or as he calls it, the buying power of Mr and Mrs Customer.

"Mr and Mrs Customer is often looking for an apartment by the sea. Those flats and houses could be in England, Cannes, anywhere. Part of our success is because flats and houses on the French Riviera, along different coastlines all over the world, are going up very quickly in price, while we are decreasing the price of our boats.

Freedom "So the gap is widening and moving to our advantage. Unlike an apartment, a boat represents freedom. It gives access to new horizons and countries."

But only if you can get a berth and can afford to pay for it, I asked?

"That is true, " he nodded.

"And that's a real worry for the future.

"The UK market is still very important. Three or four years ago the British people and Britain's economy just seemed to go pow! They suddenly got richer and started spending a lot more money. We still see enormous potential in Britain, which is traditionally a big boat market and a nation with a strong maritime culture and shipping history.

"What happened when the British people suddenly got richer? Well, they simply started buying boats, boats and more boats. Obviously it was very good news for people like ourselves."

But many boatbuilders in England have gone bust or are deeply in debt, I pointed out.

Yes, he conceded, UK builders have had a tricky time. "There are some really fine companies there. But the pound has been against them for a long time, the costs of building seem to be quite high in the UK, and transportation costs are high. But there are some exceptional companies, who seem to have overcome the difficulties, and who are making excellent products and achieving great success."

Does the trend towards bigger and more costly boats spell the end for little craft?

"Oh no. There will always be a demand for those. You see, little boats do nicely for people who've already got a house, and perhaps a flat or a house and want a boat as well."