A first and... last great family trip on the sea
At the end of 2021, Laurent and his wife Adeline decided to cast off aboard their 14.33-meter catamaran, a Nautitech 475 renamed MISster (in a nod to their three daughters). Their three daughters, Romane, Louisa and Faustine, aged 12, 13 and 15, as well as their 4-year-old dog, Mina, were also on board.
"If I had it to do over again, I would try to leave it down. It's not easy. There are a lot of islands that don't accept dogs, where she is scary. It is sure that for her it was better to be with her masters" begins Laurent, the father and instigator of this trip.
However, nothing predestined this family of landlubbers to take to the sea. But this travel project was born in Laurent's head 3 or 4 years ago. After much reflection, he reviewed the possible supports: truck, camping-careuros. But the choice of sailing seemed to him to be the most adapted, especially for his daughters, because it conveys values of learning, sharing and discovery. As for the timing, it's now or never, their daughters are teenagers, the age of friends and of love for sailing but on land. If his wife has some reservations at the beginning, the project is finally closed.
Time for action
Before taking to the sea, Laurent took a few courses: one at the Glénans in Marseillan on the Etang de Thau and the other on a catamaran cruise from Hyères. His daughters also take some courses on the lake of Biscarosse, and the eldest one also discovers the Glénans courses.
"Our internships gave us some notions, but from there to going on a boat, it was another matter" explains Laurent.
At the same time, Adeline passed the coastal license, necessary to pilot the dinghy, and which also allowed them to learn essential notions: buoyancy, regulations, entry and exit of the harbour. Laurent passed the CRR, in order to gather a maximum of "assets". On the medical side, they are also well supported by the head of the emergency department of their hospital to prepare the first aid kit, to train in first aid, in the realization of a suture, to define the different diagnoses and to assign the necessary medicines.
Laurent and Adeline euros respectively ambulance driver at the SMUR and auxiliary nursery nurse at the hospital euros leave their jobs. They renovated their family home in the Ardèche before selling it - easily given the epidemic context at the time - and reinvested the funds in a boat.
"Finding a catamaran in mainland France was not easy. We found a 1997 Nautitech 475 catamaran based in Saint-Malo in April/May 2021. She started her career as a charter boat in the West Indies before being bought 12 years ago by her former owners, Lisette and Jacques. They traveled a lot, especially in the West Indies. For us, it was a sure value, with a regular maintenance and owners used to sail and knowing perfectly their boat. We were lucky and the handover went very well."
Sold ready to go, the catamaran is only equipped with a new AIS receiver/transmitter. The family moved aboard in August and spent the month of September taking charge of MISter with the previous owners, who explained the mechanics, maintenance, plumbing, electricity, etc.
The time of the first navigation
On October 8, 2021, the family left the port of Saint-Malo in the direction of Camaret-sur-Mer with two sailor friends who had come to accompany them for this first big sail. Laurent discovered how to manage the Channel currents and the tides. A very instructive navigation.
