Direction: Caribbean!

Let’s set sail for the great crossing! Destination Martinique from Mindelo, Cape Verde.

Saturday, October 5th, day 24:

Off we go to the Caribbean, and it’s also a birthday today! It’s Guigui celebrating his birthday! We cast off before 7 AM, and once out of the bay, we carry out man-overboard drills. We throw a buoy overboard and each take turns at the helm (steering the boat) to retrieve that poor flotation device (the buoys on the side of the boats). Once the maneuvers are done, we set course for the Caribbean! Suddenly, the fishing lines take off like a rocket, at the end of which are 2 mahi-mahi. One of them breaks free and quickly escapes from the boat. The second doesn’t have that luck; he gets cut up and will end up as sushi that very night! The question arises for the vegetarians about whether we will eat it or not. Some will be tempted, while others will leave their share to the meat-eaters. Everyone is happy!

Tuesday, October 8, Day 27:

The routine quickly falls into place: we each have our shifts and during the day we take quite a few naps. We also eat a lot. I would even say an enormous amount! Between my pancakes, Mich’s chocolate mousses, or tiramisu, Aiden’s dahls, and the other dishes prepared, we certainly don’t go hungry! The meals are always vegetarian, except occasionally when a carnivorous option is offered. No one complains; the meals are excellent! In the evening, it’s sunset aperitif time! Not every evening, that would be indulging too much, but quite regularly nonetheless. Tonight, Séb and Soline are hosting a movie night with their film, made during their first transatlantic crossing, featuring their journey and their climbs in the Yosemites. The Yosemites is a world-renowned climbing spot in the United States.

Friday, October 11, day 30:

Time change! Yes, we’re crossing multiple time zones in the Atlantic. To avoid being too out of sync upon arrival, we adjust our clocks by 2 hours each week. We also change shifts at the same time, so everyone switches schedules. I take the shift from 7 AM to 9 AM, which is great! I get a whole night to sleep! This is the perfect time to admire the sunrise, which I won’t miss from now on. Everyone is sleeping except for the Cedrics. We cut the engines and take our first swim in the Atlantic! The water is super clear, a beautiful blue! The thing is, we have several kilometers of depth, and God knows what lurks at the bottom of the ocean! That doesn’t stop us from enjoying this morning swim! Once we’re dry, we’re going to play the harmonica with Moogly and Guigui, who turns out to be a great harmonist! This afternoon, we do it all over again! We cut the engines and jump in the water! Diving, masks, and a little swim in this intense blue. Ah, we also spotted dolphins this noon, but they were hunting. They waved to us from afar, without letting their prey escape.

Saturday, October 12, day 31:

Sunrise at dawn with Guigui! The morning goes by quietly, and in the early afternoon, I am awakened from my nap by the sound of the line that has come loose! I grab the line, but it moves so fast that it burns my fingers! At the end of the line, a huge marlin, a cousin of the swordfish! It unhooks but comes to take a closer look at our boat, which allows us to observe it and realize that we could never have hauled it in. It must be about 2 meters long! After this bloody battle (a burn for me and a cut for Moogly), we spend the late afternoon cleaning the boat with Mich. Snacks, sports, more snacks, and then it’s time for dinner!

Sunday, October 13, day 32:

It’s Sunday! To be honest, we’ve all lost track of the days a bit, but Sunday means pancakes, so there’s always someone to remind us! I wake up at 6:20 AM, a little before sunrise. On top of the boat, Moogly and Guigui are already there; we sit together to admire this big ball of fire gently emerging from the horizon. As soon as the sun rises above the ocean, I head down to make the pancakes. It gets hot outside very quickly! Maybe one day I will open a pancake restaurant from all the practice! Around noon, Garance spots some fins on the port side. No sharks, but a small group of spotted dolphins come to greet us. They don’t stay long, but it’s nice to see them again after their absence. The afternoon goes by quietly, with reading and a nap, then in the evening, a big dinner of stir-fried noodles and a game of Skyjo!

Monday, October 14, Day 33:

A marlin broke the lure of the line today. We saw it jump, it was huge!

Wednesday, October 16, Day 35:

J-2 before arriving in Martinique! According to the GPS, we should arrive at night, so we will slow down to arrive in the early morning. How do we slow down? By stopping the engines and swimming in the Atlantic! We are diving from the roof of the boat into some really nice water! You can feel that we are in the tropics! The water is super clear, we have great visibility, but unfortunately (or fortunately) we don’t see any fish or other animals. After a good hour of break, we go back on board and it’s off again! Seb and Soline suggest putting on a Drag queen show tonight! We do our makeup, dress up, and everyone thinks about their show. After dinner, Soline kicks off the evening: The Bora Drag Queen Show, first edition! Guigui starts the show with a sensational performance! A pole dance and striptease show to a Madonna song! He sets the bar very high, but Mich also impresses with his erotic chef show! Soline will do a solo dance performance and then one in duo with Seb to a song about impossible love. Seb will follow up with a sensual solo performance to Senior. I close the evening with my special choreography playlist and the famous hit: Thumbs Up! We all have a great evening laughing and enjoying the show!

Thursday, October 17th, Day 36:

Waking up at 4 in the morning is a bit rough, but I get to enjoy a moonset at the same time as the sunrise. It’s not every day you get such a spectacle over the ocean! I head back to rest after my shift because we have a lot to do today! With our arrival planned for the next day, we’re giving the boat a thorough cleaning. We clean the outside with Senior (you don’t change a winning team), and we give the inside a good scrub as well. A boat gets dirty quickly when there are nine of us on board! After the effort comes the reward, so it’s time for a swim! We have fun being towed by a rope in the water. At a speed of 4 knots (8 km/h), you have to hold on tight, or you’ll end up letting go, and that’s goodbye!

Friday, October 18, Day 37:

Land ! Upon waking at 4 AM, you can see the lights of Martinique! We’ll be there in a few hours. We’ll meet among the Cédric’s for the sunrise! We proceed slowly and make our entrance into the bay of Marin, in the southwest of the island. We dock around 8 AM! We step onto the pontoon; it feels strange to walk and see people after 13 days at sea! Moogly knows someone at the marina, so after refueling, we’ll lift the boat out of the water using an underwater platform to change a seal on one of the engines. The operation doesn’t take long, then we head to anchor a bit further up in the bay. Once settled, we jump into the water! It must be said that it’s very hot here, so swimming is highly recommended. In the evening, we’ll take the dinghy to the beach for a large meal and to have a welcome drink!

Leaving from Cape Verde, I wasn’t sure yet whether to continue on to Tahiti or stop in Martinique. The Cedrics suggested I continue with them to pass through the Panama Canal, cross the Pacific, stop at the Marquesas, and finally reach Tahiti. I thought long and hard about this possibility, from the Canaries to my arrival in Martinique, but ultimately the Caribbean will be my final destination in this beautiful boating adventure. I will stay a bit on this beautiful island called Martinique, taking the time to explore the island, potentially work, and then look for a boat to head to the Caribbean or maybe South America! The plan will depend on the opportunities that arise.

A massive thank you to the entire crew of the boat for this unforgettable crossing that lasted 37 days! A huge thank you to Captain Moogly, the best of the best; to Senior, my dad during this adventure; to Seb, Soline, Mich, and Aiden, the climbing team for their good spirits, great company, and all the delicious meals along the way. Best of luck for your future adventures, and I can’t wait to see you at the top of the Yusemites!