Ten years of passion
It was during a vacation in Brittany that Jérôme and Estelle decided to discover life at sea. Back home, they signed up for a liveaboard sailing course in Marseille.
This first experience, lasting just a few days, won them over and marked the beginning of a decade of learning and love of sailing. From then on, the couple, now living in the Paris region, took part in a series of training courses, including courses with the Glénans sailing school in Brittany, the Cyclades and the Gulf of Bonifacio. They then took their coastal and ocean-going licenses, before embarking on a few cruises with friends on charter boats.
A hobby that has become an all-consuming passion, to the point of becoming a way of life.
Grand Tour purchase and countdown begins
In 2017, the couple decided to take the next step. Having developed a taste for the freedom of the ocean, they considered investing, with the aim of one day living full time aboard their vessel. They then bought a cruising catamaran, a Lagoon 42, and specified: "We went through a rental management system. For 5 years, our boat was operated on a rental basis by Dream Yacht Charter, and we had the use of it for a few weeks a year. At the end of this period, we knew we wanted to recover Grand Tour for our personal use and make it our main home. This formula enabled us to take the time to prepare for the change in our lives, and above all to save around 50% of her replacement value".
It's a choice they don't regret: Grand Tour is a boat that can accommodate up to 12 people on board, and is just what they need to combine safety and comfort.
During these 5 years, the couple took advantage of their time off to discover new destinations: the Grenadines, Seychelles, Antigua, Croatia... to fine-tune their physical and mental preparation, and to get to grips with the catamaran they know will become their floating home. The aim: to be ready for D-Day, when they will set sail for an indeterminate length of time.
Preparing for adventure
The preparation for life at sea, which began ten years ago, took many steps. Jérôme and Estelle spared no effort in training and learning the essential skills needed to set sail safely: navigation, mechanics, communication and health.
Here is a list of the main training courses:
- Coastal license
- Offshore license
- Radiotelephony Restricted Certificate (RRC)
- Health course at sea with the Médidistance association
- Mechanical and electrical training with Escale Formation Technique
Jérôme also passed a professional skipper's diploma, the Yachtmaster Offshore . A diploma which required two months of intensive training in Saint-Malo, but which allows him to leave with peace of mind, feeling 100% ready.
Picked up at the end of March, Grand Tour will also have benefited from a period of conditioning. 3 weeks to check, overhaul or improve certain elements of the boat, in particular :
- Efficient solar panels for energy autonomy
- Installation of a desalinator to supply drinking water
- Radar and scan forward for safety
While fun and pleasure are not forgotten on board, with bikes, diving equipment, windsurfing, kiteboarding and cinema screens, priority is given to essential safety and maintenance items. So they carry plenty of tools to carry out repairs themselves, and even a 28 kg professional sewing machine to repair sails if need be!
The big departure was a confident one, but not without emotion. As Estelle recounts, it was with a mixture of joy and nostalgia that she watched the dock at the Zaton marina pull away. After 5 years of waiting, the dream had finally come true.
Dare to follow your heart
To leave, our adventurers had to make a number of choices: leaving stable salaried jobs, renting out their bungalow, and parting with the superfluous. With no regrets, they have just set sail for Martinique by the end of the year. They plan to spend the next two years in the Caribbean, the time to discover the region a little better, welcome their loved ones and enjoy life! For Estelle, finally taking the time to let herself live according to her desires... and the weather! And the weather!
Their dream destination? French Polynesia and a Pacific crossing! Mythical!
"You only live once, and the Covid really confirmed our choice. We realized that everything could change overnight. You might as well follow your heart!
All these years of preparation have also had the merit of forging them mentally for this major life change. They admit it: it's not easy to cut away from comfort and stability to set off into the unknown. While there are bound to be doubts along the way, the motivation always remains the same: to live life to the full and make every day count.
"We've learned to live differently with less space, fewer things, less income, but more freedom, experiences, discovery. To finance our new life, we've had to make some choices, and we're counting on renting out our bungalow in the Paris suburbs, as well as welcoming acquaintances on board, to make ends meet."
At the same time, they describe their navigation on their Grand Tour youtube channel.
Best advice: be independent
In addition to technical and mental preparation, their best advice will be to develop a sense of autonomy and resourcefulness. Sailors know: on board, there's always something to fix. So don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.
Autonomy doesn't mean solitude, however, and there's a real sense of solidarity in the sailing community. As they tell us, it's not uncommon to bump into familiar faces during stopovers, and to forge friendships along the way.
A new life full of promise has just begun for Grand Tour and its crew, to whom we wish all the best and many wonderful discoveries!
