Les Helvètes en Transat
October-December 2020: a 5 person crew and I are casting off to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Sailing on a dream, suspended, floating on a watery abyss, sleeping under stars hitherto unknown to us...
Follow our adventure, here on Instagram and with our GPS bib.
I am making a 80 min webseries for the RTS, the Swiss TV. Here is the teaser:
"But what a start for a Transatlantic crossing! Since leaving La Rochelle last week, we have crossed the Bay of Biscay to take shelter for a few days in Galicia. We discovered a fantastic region, a coast sheared by the waves, warm towns and villages. Here we fish, sail and surf. One last stage on the coast before going down to the Canaries... And there should be some action on our Pogo 12.50!
Destination 👉 Le Marin, Martinique."
Quentin Mayerat, the captain.
"What a week we just had!
As soon as we left Spain, the wind and the waves went into a rage. Day and night, the ship’s tilt and swings drove us crazy, our minds and bodies compensating every single of them and our stomaches ending being torn with cramps. We would finish our 6h switches drenched by a rain.
One night though, the mood of the sea began to be more gentle. The swell still lifted us 10m up but within that slow tempo that is typical of the ocean. Wide valleys and plateaus surrounded us, making sure the horizon would never flatten.
The sun appeared, dolphins giggling besides us.
And now the land, at last. Promises of sweetness and stability, although a heavy program awaits us: three halyards broke and the spinnaker just blew up one morning - we’ll need to replace many of the ropes, maybe find another sail and examine the boat carefully, before casting off the lines again to cross the major piece, the gigantic Northern Atlantic Ocean..."
Christopher Shand, the media man.
We will soon leave the Canary islands. Here is some drone footage towards the second leg of our adventure!