A minimalist first voyage
In 2019, Violette embarks on her first solo trip. She decided to paddle down the Loire in a canoe-kayak. After acquiring a second-hand inflatable Sevylor for ?70, she travels almost 850 km from Le Puy en Velay to Saint-Nazaire, on the strength of her own arms. Rowing for 10 hours a day, with only a small waterproof bag in which she stores two T-shirts and a toothbrush, she has discovered a passion for this minimalist way of traveling.
This first trip made her want to go further. While browsing the classifieds to buy her inflatable kayak, she came across several Hobie Cat Mirage ads.
A new project is underway. Violette decides to sail from France to Istanbul on this boat.
" The itinerary, across the Mediterranean, appealed to me. I like the idea of approaching land by the coast, and doing a long solo trip. Easy-going".
And yet, this atypical sailboat is not designed for coastal cruising! The Hobie cat Mirage is a 4.88 m polyester trimaran, powered by both a pedal system and a furling sail. Simple and easy to handle, it displaces 52 kg when rigged. Designed for short day trips.
Although not a seasoned sailor, Violette already has a good deal of experience on small sailboats:
" Before setting sail, I had little experience of coastal sailing. I grew up in Paris, but in a family with a passion for sailing and maritime history. But I've done a lot of light sailing."
Heading for Turkey aboard a trimaran
Violette finds the model of her dreams in Cassis, near Marseille. She travels there by train, closes the deal, and takes her trimaran back by sea to Sète. It will take her 4 days for this first test run.
In Sète, where her father owns a sailboat, she quickly prepares for this long sea trip. She added dyneema reinforcements to the floats' anchor points, took spare plugs for the hulls and a few odds and ends, and that was it! She reminds us:
"In a multihull, you have to avoid overloading. Grams quickly become kilos. Especially as my trimaran's lockers aren't really watertight. My personal belongings are stored in a 60-liter watertight bag that I secure to the central hull"
Before departure, she wrote the new name of her travelling companion on the central hull with a paintbrush: Passepartout. The aptly-named little trimaran is ready for the long haul.
A strong gale forecast for the start
october 15, 2022: the big departure! And the first big gust of wind, raising seas too rough for the little trimaran. No problem, Violette dismasted her Hobie Cat, and began her journey through the canals of the Camargue. Rowing only, or rather pedaling only, Violette and Passepartout slaloming through the flamingos. After two days, she reaches the Mediterranean near La Grande Motte, and heads east.
This navigation is approached with total freedom. And Passepartout is aptly named when it comes to taking a break reports its captain:
"The stopovers are not fixed at all in advance, and I decide from day to day where I'm going to stop, depending on my desires and the wind conditions."
After her first day at sea off the Camargue, with a headwind and a heavy swell, she set up her first bivouac near the mouth of the Rhône. The arrival on the beach is a bit sporty for a first-timer. But Violette doesn't yet know that she'll be experiencing many more, and far more acrobatic ones.
Cautious, she waits to pass the mouth of the Rhône, as conditions are not optimal.
She then heads for the Côte Bleue, where she pitches her tent under the arches of the Calanque des eaux salées viaduct. Over a croziflette and a glass of rhum arrangé shared with a friend, she prepares the next stage of her navigation. Her program for the next few days? The imposing calanques of Marseille, Porquerolles and the arrival in Italy.
