Anne-Laure Le Duff, first mate : “We are a little over half way to Honiara and the boat has found once more the gentle rounded swell of the Pacific and, which is rare, with just five crew members are on board for the voyage. We have fair weather forecast and I hope that the trade winds will continue to blow so we can fly the kite. Temperatures continue to climb.
As it is each time we are at sea, life punctuated by a series of jobs. What takes up the most time is the technical maintenance. The boat needs constant upkeep and with this comes the deployment of a full set of varied skills required for all the jobs. In the stewardship section, Christelle’s expert hands lovingly knead the bread dough as she manages the organisation of household chores like a concert conductor, even Pascal the captain is in charge of cutting the ends of the beans! We also have to prepare for our next stopover and that goes from the cleaning of the ceremonial rugs to Anne’s haircut.
Time passes quickly at sea and time spent watching the extraordinary sunsets the Pacific has to offer is just as important as eating or drinking.
Right now the air is cooler, the crew are on deck, some doing their exercises under the amused eye of the captain, whilst others look for tell-tell signs on the surface of the ocean that might indicate the presence of a sperm whale.”
Copyright : Christelle Brigeot-Mathieu