Bertrand has had this project in mind for 2 years: to reach Marseille from the Arab countries. But unfortunately, his team-mate, who is scheduled to take part in this first stage, has just given him the slip. This sailor is not on his first sailing adventure: "I came to sailing late. I bought this new White Shark in 2004 from its manufacturer in Vannes. And rather than driving her back up the road to her home port of Saint-Briac in Northern Brittany, I did the tour of Finistère. That really gave me a taste for cruising. Then in 2018, I connected Marseille to Venice. These 14 days at sea with days on the Adriatic coast were sublime. I started to think bigger with the tour of the Arabian Peninsula. Alas some countries are not frequented at the moment (Djibouti, Eritrea...). So I turned to the Gulf of Aqaba."
An epic of more than 3000 miles
Thus from Aqaba, Bertrand must reach Beirut, Cyprus, then the Cyclades in Greece, the Corinth Canal, Corfu, southern Italy, Sardinia, Corsica before arriving in Marseille. A journey of more than 3000 miles that he hopes to complete in about 2 months.
To do so, he will sail on his White Shark 237 powered by a Nanni diesel 4 cylinder 270 hp. With its 320 litres of diesel, it has a range of over 300 miles. If this boat has a small cabin, it is just for storing equipment. Bertrand and his crew will sail during the day (very early in the morning to avoid the wind) and spend the nights at the hotel.
A bottle in the sea
But alas, this project, which is totally tied up, meets a pitfall: the first crew member has just dropped out of the race. He can't embark for the first leg. So our sailor throws a bottle overboard to the readers of Bateaux.com: Is there a volunteer to take the start?
The first stage will therefore start from Aqaba (Jordan) and go to Larnaca (Cyprus). Stopovers are planned: Sharm El Sheikh (2-day stopover to visit Mount Sinai), Zafarana, Suez, Port Said, Beirut before Cyprus. In total, it takes 15 days to complete this trip.
A team member's place to be taken
This route does not require any special skills. No vaccination, no boating license, no special physical fitness required. Just the desire to take part in an amazing journey. All you need to leave is a valid passport.
You up for an adventure? Introduce us in an email and leave your details at the following address: aqaba.marseille@gmail.com. But don't delay, we need an answer before March 15, 2020... We will not fail to tell you about this wonderful adventure.
