Living on a sailboat in polar latitudes at the age of 7, what does it really mean? For Raphaël, it's an open-air school, games on deck, and moments of contemplation. This young adventurer, who lives year-round on Lifeson, a Garcia 68 criss-crossing the poles he gives us a glimpse of his daily life on board, between storms, discoveries and squabbles with his little sister Jade, aged 5. Through gestures, simple words and souvenir photographs of his voyages, he shows us with great sincerity what it's like to grow up on the water: a rich experience full of lessons. An unfiltered interview that will perhaps inspire other sailors to dream?
Your mom told me you were almost born on board, in Polynesia! When you were growing up, did you find life on a boat difficult? Is it easier today?
Yes, it's easier than before. I've already driven our LifeSong boat many times.
What do you think is the biggest difference between life at sea and life on land?
On a boat, you're always leaning, rocking and moving. Whereas home is stable.
And you, do you like this rocking?
Medium. Sometimes, it makes you a little sick to your stomach.
Ah, are you feeling a bit seasick?
Yes, sometimes.
And your little sister?
No, she's just pretending! So they'll give her cool medicine. That way, everyone takes care of her.
Ah yes, she's a clever one! But do you two get on well on the boat?
Sometimes we laugh. Sometimes we argue.
Okay, she's a real little adventurer too then, just like you!
Oh yes, that's it!
How do you keep busy when you're at sea? Do you have any favorite activities on board?
There's a game I like. You take a blanket and when it's leaning right you stand on it and the blanket slides from one side of the boat to the other. It's great fun!
And when you're ashore, what do you do?
We play in the sand, walk around a bit, look at the pebbles, make pyramids, and sometimes snowmen when there are any.
I've also seen that you've been in crevasses before.
Ah yes, but it was very small. We went down with ropes.
And do you miss anything when you're away from the land?
No, not really.
What's your favorite thing about the boat, and what's your least favorite thing?
At the very least, it's a stomachache. And the most is watching animals through binoculars.
And you like drawing too?
Yes, often at school, when we have time, I draw a boat, sometimes with animals. When I was on the boat, I drew a landscape with paint.
Did your mom and dad teach you on the boat before?
Yes, that was Mom. Now it's a new school ashore.
Did you find it rather fun to do school on a boat?
Yes, of course. Because my favorite activity is English. At my school, we do very little English, not really every day. In fact, when I arrived, there were several weeks without English. I missed it. And then afterwards, we only had one very quick English lesson.
Was school on the boat an all-day affair?
No, it was just an hour a day. And we had little notebooks. There was one thing with poems. And the others were vegetables, for example.
Did your mom tell you that you were a good student on the boat?
Er... No. Well, sometimes it happens!
Can you give me an example of something you know that you think the other kids don't?
Walruses, when they get old, their necks turn pink. The Arctic fox, too, steals lots of things.
Do you enjoy being with your family on the boat?
Yes. It would be better if I had brothers though, they'd bother me a little less than Jade.
T ou meet other children on your travels?
Yes, sometimes.
Are they nice?
Oh yes!
Q hen you look at the ocean, what do you think?
That it makes your stomach hurt.
Do you do a little kayak?
We were once kayaking, and 9 whales came in like that. I saw one that came very close to us. One, then two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. And each time, they came out. Then, two of them arrived at the same time, and it was just amazing. The other time, a whale came very close with its mouth. Wow. And his tail was this big. Wow. It looked like it was going to jump out and swallow us whole. It was kind of scary. It was beautiful. And we named the whales because we recognized them. There was one we named Loulou.
Have you ever been scared at sea? When you were on the boat.
Yes, sometimes, when it's jiggling really hard. I hate nights on a boat when you're sailing over several days. And it makes my stomach hurt at night. As soon as you fall asleep, it's better.
Afterwards, when you get to a place close to the earth, don't you think it's beautiful?
Yes, it's great! I tell myself that it's much better here, that the boat was tiring, moving all the time. So when I get there, I say to myself: well, this is better.
What's your best memory, or perhaps a place you loved going ashore?
It was with a sled in Norway, called Crazy Carpet. We were with Dad, Mum, me and Jade, and we were going down a big slope, so it was steep: it went shuuu. It was so much fun and, finally, when we crashed, it banged. It was really fun.
Is there anywhere you'd like to go when you grow up with your parents and little sister?
There are two countries we've never been to that I'd like to see. Australia and New Zealand. It looks really good, really pretty.
If you had to tell a story about an adventure you've had to a friend who doesn't know anything about boats, what would you say?
I'd say polar bears approach without making any noise, and they're friendly. In fact, we were like that. There was land there. We were there with the dinghy. And there was the polar bear. It was a bit scary. And there, he was eating, and then he was watching us. Peaceful.
I hear you and your family are getting a new boat soon. Did you get involved in choosing things?
It had brown wood, which I really liked. The other one is too beige, it's ugly. I was also thinking, on the boat, there could be a few strokes of black stains on the walls, to decorate a bit.
If you had to have a boat, what would your dream boat look like?
I'd say mauve, with little green lines all over. A sailboat. The mast is made of wood. And the flag, I want it to be decorated with pirates. On the bow, there's a decorated mermaid.
And because Raphaël's little sister Jade didn't take part in the interview, but would have liked to give her opinion on the boat of her dreams, here it is!
