Make a documentary on climate change
Sophie and Tobias want to make their contribution to the issue of climate change. At 27 and 30, these two adopted residents of Roche decided to cast off for Alaska to make a documentary on climate change. On board their 11-metre sailboat - a Swanson 36 - they will take on a cameraman and an anthropologist to complete the Northwest Passage and meet the people.
From La Rochelle in May 2020, the convoy will travel to Alaska via the Northwest Passage. On each of the 9 ports of call, they will meet the local population. They have also approached Camille Bréant, Paleclimatologist in Bordeaux and specialist in the Arctic.
"The idea is to make a documentary on climate change and meet communities to see how their lives are impacted and how they adapt. In the Far North, melting ice is a recurrence. They use nature to live and find it increasingly difficult to fish, to move around" explains Sophie.
Raise awareness of the plight of Arctic communities
This documentary will aim to raise public awareness and Sophie hopes to receive the support of French television channels. " We would like to encourage people to change their behaviour and act differently to save the planet." Upon returning from this 5-month trip, the young people want to lead conferences and develop other awareness-raising activities.
This former sales representative left her position to devote herself entirely to this project and create the association Un Mondo with her companion. Without scholarly skills, these two sailors decided to share their sailing skills with the scientific community.
"I went around the world by boat-stop and then I met Tobias who bought his boat in Asia before transporting it to France. For 3 years, we have been living on board our boat in the Old Port of La Rochelle and we wanted to set up a project that makes sense for the environment thanks to our skills as sailors" sophie explains.
Before adding "We are aware of the subject. I myself grew up on an island in Tahiti and I was able to see the climate change with the rising waters, the difficulty of fishing..."
An original fundraising event
To bring their project to life, Sophie and Tobias were able to count on the generosity of the Grand Pavois to present their association Unu Mondo. In the Tourism and Services Hall, they sell wine bottles to raise funds.
"The boat is not suitable for Arctic navigation. We have to set it up with a crash-box at the front, insulate it, make it cold resistant and equip it with video equipment. We need about 20,000 euros for the equipment and preparation of the boat and 12,000 euros for the making of the documentary."
"We want to devote our time to making a difference and helping a scientific project. It's quite difficult for scientists to get there. We offer them a less expensive expedition while participating in the project" concludes Sophie.
