/ 
Description of Hateya
Hateya means footprint in the sand "in Amerindian. If you ever come across this sailboat, you'll remember it for the rest of your life. It's a 9.50-meter old rig, a 50-year-old auric cutter with a steel hull and wooden mast.
Auric cutter means that it has three headsails: a small furling genoa on the bowsprit, a forestay at bow level on which the genoa is usually fitted, and a boomed staysail on the lower forestay. So much for the cutter part. Auric means that the mainsail is trapezoidal in shape, with a horn at the top and a mistletoe at the bottom. The advantage of this rig is a smaller mast for the same sail area as a Bermudan sailboat.
Hateva's mast is made of Oregon pine, and is light, strong and easy to repair and dismast, thanks to the pin at the base. With two outriggers and 4 people, it can be put ashore in just a few hours.
The shapes of the deck and steel hull are unique, and the curves reflect the skills of the welder. The small round portholes, bubble and protective hoop are part of the signature of Louis Van de Wiele, the architect, who designed it for himself and his wife Annie for a trip to the West Indies. Legend has it that only Hateya remains of the 3 examples built.
In the 6 years I've been sailing her, I know this boat by heart. I've taken the mast down twice, the first time with a crane and the second time with friends to repair it. I installed a furling system at the bow, an electric windlass, quadrupled the battery park, installed two freshwater tanks, rebuilt the galley twice, redid all the berths, installed a chart table, storage space everywhere, installed a solar panel, a heater, an electric pilot, a windvane gearbox, the AIS, the VHF and all the safety equipment for offshore sailing, overhauled the engine, changed the stuffing box, the forward cowling, the forward companionway system, the whole cockpit, all the paintwork and the antifouling...
Fortunately, I've had help with all this, from friends, my mother and pontoon-boat buddies, because it can get depressing all on my own.
Technical report on the solo transatlantic race
As far as food is concerned, I still have :
- Half my tomatoes
- A cabbage
- 3 squashes
- Lemons
- And my concerve food supply hasn't dropped much.
For water, at the start I had 150 l divided between two tanks, with a further 100 l in cans. At the end of the day, I hadn't used all the 90 l of water in my main tank. I haven't touched my second tank and I still have 35 l of water in cans.
I could have stayed at sea for a while longer. I didn't lack for anything. I was able to fix everything that broke. I'm pretty happy with my preparation!
Portrait of Nicolas, the sailor
I'm the boy who was born in Longjumeau, grew up in Epinay-sur-Orge, la Ferté-Alais, Morigny-Champigny. Who has lived in Lille, Sydney, Paris, Grenoble, Annecy, Jozerand, London, Lanzarote, Santa-Cruz de Ténérife...
Who has worked for EDF, Bill Tornade, Decathlon, Cadafi, Patrick Sébastien, Isabelle Marran, Salomon, IXOXI, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Teligo, éducation environnement 64, la Fédération des ?uvres laïc 26, Céline, Kenzo, l'UNICON, St Laurent...?
Who's done a half-marathon, the World Unicycle Championship, cycled across Australia, mechanics, carpentry, welding, sewing, electricity, plumbing, survival, belonged to a motorcycle club, done radio, traveled, had piercings.
Who has taken courses in rope access, skippering, non-violent communication, civil disobedience, first aid, permaculture and writing?
I'm that boy who loved, who loves, who hated, who cried, who laughed, who hesitated, who made mistakes, who started over, who gave up, who was and who will be.
