Charlotte announces it in preamble:"I don't know anything about sailing! "And yet, she is engaging her two children (Julia 2 years old and Gabriel 1 year old) and her husband in a world tour on a 38-foot sailboat.
The story begins when she meets Pierre, a skipper by trade. Pierre has had the idea of living on a boat since childhood, but Charlotte puts a stop to it from the very beginning of their relationship:"I don't like the boat, I get seasick. You'll never make me sail, even on one of your mega yachts." The couple settled ashore in the Montpellier region and the family grew: Julia, the eldest, arrived.
The life of parents, with its constraints, the sedentary side, existential questions about the goal of collecting money to become homeowner, retirement... all these ideas revive the buried envy of travel.
And Charlotte realizes the obvious. To travel as a family, the sailboat is a good solution. With children, he allows his house to travel. It's reassuring for the whole family and children love small enclosed spaces.
Haliotis 38, an integral bi-safran dinghy
As soon as the decision to leave is taken, the couple scour the classified ads for three months before settling on a model: the Haliotis 38. It is the visit of a specimen in France which confirmed them on the choice of this model. But they bought Tivano in Florida: newer, better equipped.
Pierre has just one month before the birth of his son Gabriel to transport him to Brittany. He's just in time for the delivery! The family moves to Piriac to prepare the departure. Charlotte can practice her profession as a speech-language pathologist to fill the dashboard. Pierre, on the other hand, is trained in cabinet-making. Two trades that can be practiced along the way when finances demand it.
Departure delayed due to engine problem
The departure is planned for July 2017. But the engine, an old Perkins can't hear it with this ear. It will be unloaded in August, replaced by a brand new Volvo. In this summer period the building site is falling behind. And it's finally early August that the boat is put back in the water. But alas, the stern tube leaks. Water outlet for complete repair. Departure announced with a nice weather window on Sunday 13 August 2017.
Where to go?
To the question,"What's on the trip?" Charlotte answers without hesitation:"No program!" The trip planned with the two young children is a world tour following the tropics. Canary Islands at All Saints' Day, Cape Verde at Christmas and a deckchair in winter. Then the Pacific in sight, but it's already far away..
With Bateaux.com, we will follow this family crew with pleasure. To share with them a beautiful vision of the world and its inhabitants. We wish them all the best!
