End of medical school. A long corridor of about ten years, busy, exhausting and wearing, at the end of which François graduated. Having become a doctor, he wants to take a break. He decides, before embarking on a medical career, to leave for 2 years, with his first wife and their daughter. It is on returning from this disconnection that he is sure he will do it again. That he will leave, one day or another, to live his passion for water.
Need for change
Career, work... François and his second wife Catherine will wait until 2010 to start setting up the grand departure project itself. In 2015, they will buy Storia Storia, an Ovni 445 which will replace the Ovni 395 they then own. First psychological step towards the departure, they go from 3 cabins to carry the children on the water to only 2. One will be for them and one for their possible guests. The family moorings start to be cast off, each child takes its independence and the parents wish to set up, slowly, this project. François knows the great difficulties that the Alubat shipyard is going through at this time. This is one of the reasons to remain loyal to the brand: " Being a customer when things are going well is easy. It's when the sea rises that you have to be faithful.. "notes the navigator.
Living your passion without trying to live it
Four years will be used to prepare the boat. Testing it, mistreating it, adapting it and transforming it until it becomes, in the hands of its owner, the boat of their round-the-world voyage. Luck is on their side, they know it: " We both have a comfortable income that allows us to finance the boat, to imagine stopping working ". And this is one of the main difficulties in agreeing to stop working. Taking the step towards those who live their passion without trying to make a living from it.
The decision is final. Not only will they go, but they will do so in perfect health. The year 2019 is in sight for a departure announced in May. François has a principle in his approach to sailing: " When two roads are possible, even if one is longer than the other, if it allows more comfort and tranquility, I take it. We're going for a marathon, not a sprint. "
Upset departure
Departure from Brest at the beginning of May 2019. Loss of the propeller off Ouessant followed by the loss of the power generator " The thoroughness, the attention, the preparation. In sailing as elsewhere, anything can happen. It's not serious in hindsight, just angry in the moment. "A month's delay in departure. Delay? Not at all, according to the navigator." In any case, in 2019, the weather is atrocious to go down to Spain via the Bay of Biscay. This month spent in Concarneau will have enabled us to avoid bad weather at sea. "
Real departure so end of May. Descent in Spain, along the coasts of Portugal, Madeira, the Canaries. Discovery of Cape Verde and the first time Storia Storia sets foot outside Europe in her sailing life. A friend and his son accompany them on this first voyage. It was he who, 30 years earlier, accompanied Francis on his first transatlantic crossing. The crossing is close to perfection. Nice weather, 15 to 25 knots of wind all the time, very little sea, a single squall at 35 knots during the trip. The weather and the atmosphere are ideal, with good fishing for the friends on board.
The right crew for the right crew
When asked what makes a good crew member and a good crew, François explains, "When we ask him what makes a good crew member and a good crew, François explains, " First of all, our crossing wasn't forced, we chose the weather window. We had the luxury of time. We know very well that a crossing in December, for example, will be comfortable, but with risks of a calm and will harm the atmosphere on board. Why, in this case, be stubborn? You should never go to extremes, it conditions the atmosphere. Then, get to know each other. First of all, to be able to analyse whether you are more competent in the early or late night shifts. Then get to know your team-mates, having spent a few weekends at sea, made a few crossings and known a few galleys. The galleys allow you to see how each of us deals with stress and pressure and to check whether we are compatible with each other. And a boat is small! "he adds.
" I'll say it again, never go to extremes under any circumstances. When it comes to making choices, presenting the options and going collegial and then accepting it, even if it means going down the road, having talked about it before. The choices made must be within the common goal of the crew, if it takes longer, let's take it. The purpose of all choices must always be to improve the comfort of the journey, not just to please the owner or one of the crew members. "
And to conclude on these quality criteria of a crew: " Everyone comes out on the water looking for something different. Each crew member must have the opportunity to find that something during the crossing. It's an intimate thing, but everyone must work to make it happen. "
Inevitable Confinement
In mid-December 2019, François and his wife reach Martinique. Organization of the end of year celebrations, the families join them on the spot. Stroll in the Lesser Antilles in early 2020 and then ... confinement. " Our containment conditions were far from unbearable at anchor on Forked Island, off St. Bartholomew's Island. Five boats were at anchor during the week, with a few visitors on weekends. We maintained the physical distances during landings and set up a landing program on the island with neighbouring boaters to be as reasonable as possible. The program of our days was fishing, swimming, reading and cooking... It will have cost me 3 kilos for this confinement. "
Authority Relations? " The coast guard came to see us just once, not to check on us, but to make sure that everything was okay and that we didn't need anything. "François and Catherine find the time long, the video library and the onboard library are not expandable. " We had planned to do the Caribbean and then the United States in the summer of 2020. But with the borders closed, we fell back on Martinique where Storia Storia is currently out of the water for her refit. "
The future in these troubled times
The journey is not over for our two yachtsmen." Our plans were certainly disrupted, but nothing more than that. We're going back to the original planned route. We have an appointment at the US embassy in Paris to get our visas in November. We plan to go back to the United States in May or June 2021 and then on to Canada. At the end of 2021, we will go back down to the West Indies and then Cuba. Direction Central America for the beginning of 2022, then crossing the Panama Canal. And then we'll.. "
Frustrations?
Obviously, the current outbreak has disrupted navigational plans. Can we talk about frustration? " We met some very annoyed people who only had a program for a year and not a day longer. This requires that all the cogs be oiled and that no glitches appear. If the program is too tense, you create stress upstream of the program. It seems important to me to always think of a plan B. Too much stress or pressure on things creates worries ." What's true for those who are still in the workforce is less true for our crew: " We have to be able to agree to go around the world not in 5 years, but in 7, 8 or 10 years. The more time we have to devote to the trip, the less we are in a state of impetuosity to respect the imperatives. "
A trip shared as a couple
" Too many constraints in the schedule create a risk. With obligations, one will be less cautious and in a hurry to reach the navigation zone. You always have to give yourself a margin of safety. Navigation adapts to potential visitors, aloes that we should aim for compromise. For example, if you have to find family or friends in an area you are not in, everyone must give themselves a margin of safety. The navigator by announcing a later ETA, the visitor by planning one or two nights in a hotel on the spot. In all choices and in all cases, always the easiest. Distances, navigation, stages... If it gets complicated, it will be at the margin and we will have the possibility to correct the situation easily. "However, some obligations do exist. " We are only constrained by the weather of the major stages. Even if we leave ourselves some leeway. For example, we're planning to arrive in Panama in early 2022, which is a big stage, but it could be early January or at the end of the month, we'll still be on schedule. "
François and Catherine travel and live the sea as a couple. It is also one of the secrets of the success of their sea journey. " It's not easy to sail as a couple, you have to be sure that both want to. My wife has accepted to sail, many couples are towed by the husband's hobby. ". And to conclude: " That's also why you have to choose the coolest way to get around. "
Budget question now: " It took 500,000 euros for the boat and preparation and then, during the crossing, between 3,000 and 4,000 euros per month, because life is very expensive in the West Indies ", explains the sailor.
François' sailing philosophy is interesting: always go for the simplest, the shortest and the most comfortable, to retain only the pleasure in the crossing. A beautiful approach to boating!
