Two young adventurers dedicated to a noble cause
Sylvestre and Mathias are two high school students from Marseille and practice sailing at the ASPTT. After a career in Optimist and Open Bic, they turned to the 420, a double-handed dinghy designed for racing on sheltered waters. The two friends attend the same high school class and are also a close-knit duo on the water.
It was during a liveaboard that the idea came to them to sail to Calvi from Marseille, but on their dinghy! Then the Covid arrived and upset everyone's habits. Like many during the confinement, Sylvestre and Matthias can no longer sail, but this free time is used to draw the outlines of this completely crazy project.
Alas, a dramatic event comes to mourn this beginning of preparation. Their friend Félix, a high school student, sailor and member of the ASPTT, decided to end his life.
This tragic event was the driving force behind the motivation of the two young sailors. If they were going to embark on a project, it might as well be for a good cause, and for the memory of their friend. The project is being put together under the colors of ASMA, the association fighting against teenage suicide. The project will be called "En parler; peut tout changer".
A meticulous preparation
"We met Jeremy Lagarrigue, who had some experience in this kind of challenge. He helped us to structure our adventure and guided us in our preparation. We spent two months thinking, building and making our project viable" explain the two young people from Marseille.
Then they started to prepare the technical aspects of their 420. No sailor has ever attempted this crossing on this type of boat. The structure is entirely checked and the weak points, frequent on a sport dinghy, are taken care of. The running rigging was refurbished, and the standing rigging was doubled and secured with dynema. If a shroud were to break, the crew could continue sailing.
The two friends also find a boat to accompany them throughout their navigation. This one will guarantee their safety all along the crossing. As far as supplies are concerned, Sylvestre and Matthias took 20 kg of supplies and 9 liters of water each, knowing that a 420 (hull + rigging) weighs about 80 kg
A round trip between the Pointe Rouge and La Ciotat allows them to validate the technical solutions brought on the boat, as well as their personal equipment.
Precedents that have become big names in sailing
Sylvestre and Mathias are not the first to attempt a crossing on a boat designed for a short day trip. In 1986, Laurent Bourgnon and his friend Fred Giraldi made a crossing of the Atlantic on a 5.50 m Hobie Cat 18. It took them 22 days to reach Guadeloupe, without any means of communication and in non-existent comfort.
In 2016, the Olympic athlete Youssef Akrout connects Tunisia and Italy on board his Laser, over a distance of a hundred miles.
The same year, Violette Dorange, at the age of 15, crossed the English Channel in an Optimist. She completed the 70 miles of the course in 14:58, becoming the first girl to cross the English Channel on such a boat.
A strong start
Under the encouragement of trainees and instructors of their club, Sylvestre and Mathias take the departure at the end of the afternoon of July 15th, in a Mistral tail.
"We left inside the creeks, then we sent the spinnaker to the shelter. And bim, we started to crack. "
A 38-knot slap in the face sent them to the mat off Cassis. The 420 dries out and fills with water. Weighed down by the full load of supplies, the recovery was laborious.
"We lowered the spinnaker just long enough to empty the boat, then we hoisted it again. We got closer to Cape Sicié, which we passed in 25 knots with 3m of waves, under a slightly downwind beam. One of our best memories of sailing! "
Petole, quarters and whales
Then the whims of the Mediterranean reminded them. The wind shifted, then dropped completely. The 420 was stalling. Their progress was halted until 1am, until the Porquerolles thermal lifted and allowed them to resume their direct route.
"At 5:00 am, at sunrise, we took the course 107 towards Calvi. It was off for a single tack towards Corsica in 10-12 knots, on a slightly downwind beam."
After a first night looking for wind, the two crew members can finally rest. One stayed at the helm while the second slept at the bottom of the boat, wedged between the daggerboard and the caisson. At the end of the afternoon, the wind strengthens and stabilizes in the right direction. The 420 lengthens its stride. Our crew of adventurers took advantage of these good conditions to pull on their boat and gain precious miles before the night. They spread out, chain the gybes in regatta mode until sunset.
Then, like the previous night, the wind drops in the early evening to come back around 2 am. It is at this moment that Sylvestre takes back his watch and gets a little fright.
"I had just taken the helm again, in 8 knots of wind. That's when I crossed a school of plankton, which lit up with the reflections of the moon. It was magical! Suddenly, I heard the sound of a whale very close to us, which had sounded just beside us. The little ripples created by the mammal shook the 420 a bit, but not seriously."
An idyllic arrival and a successful bet
Mathias takes the helm again at sunrise. The relief of Corsica begins to appear on the horizon. The crew continues its progress under spinnaker, with the sunrise and the Revellata lighthouse in the background. The 420 made its approach in the bay of Calvi and rolled up the beacon in front of the citadel, after 44 hours and 58 minutes of sailing.
The father of Felix, their missing friend, who had boarded the accompanying boat, congratulated them on their performance. The emotion is intense, the two friends have succeeded in their challenge!
