The Trigger Moment
Ten days after the rainy Saturday in April 2012 that we had chosen to say, “I do”, we set off for ten days in Tahiti! Discovering these islands on the other side of the world was more than enchanting - it was a revelation! This trip, hopping between the different islands, turned everything upside down. We were literally swept away by the call of the open sea, the exoticism, the sun, the boats moored in lagoons of infinite blue... Beyond the picture-postcard scenery, it was an invitation to another life – the real one?
Ten days go by very quickly. Before we knew it, we were back in France, back to normal life, and it was brutal!
Crowded public transport, traffic jams at every traffic light and roundabout, gray and closed faces: the stress of this life was palpable at every moment. It was all a far cry from the gentle and peaceful life of the lagoons.
Everything seemed so dull, so gray... was this really what life was all about? Should we accept our fate and carry on like this? Wait until retirement to discover the wonders of our world? Is it really wise to put all this off until “later”? What if “later” never comes? These questions rattled around my brain.
A few weeks later, fate intervened and struck where it hurt: the sudden death of a loved one, recently retired. He had planned everything... except the unpredictable.
It resonated within me like a cry from the soul: live now, not in 20 or 30 years!
A Slightly Crazy Idea
While searching for a solution to radically change the course of our life together, an idea crossed my mind: “What if we bought some land in Moorea, in French Polynesia?”
Aurélia’s immediate and blunt reaction: “Forget it, I don’t want to run a bed and breakfast.”
Okay, message received.
But a few days later, I tried again: “What if we went on a round-the-world trip... by boat?”
To be honest, I thought I would be rebuffed, but Aurélia replied: “Yes, why not, but with the family!” The only thing was, we had never set foot on a sailboat, our savings had been somewhat depleted by the wedding (and particularly the honeymoon), and to top it all off, we didn’t have any children yet... But no matter, the first step had been taken!
To start with, I had to test my sea legs, because if the self-proclaimed Captain was going to feel seasick at the first sign of waves, the dream would quickly turn sour.
A two-week sailing course in Brittany in February would soon reveal the answer.
Polar weather, rough seas and icy spray, all on a small 36-foot monohull: this was my first sailing experience. Although the sea didn’t go easy on me, I loved it! No seasickness, no regrets and, above all, the project was approved!
On my return to Alsace, my account of my days on the water to Aurélia added one condition to the departure: setting sail, yes, but it would have to be on a catamaran; she was clearly not tempted by the idea of heeling!
The second step was to get a boat license. Luckily, there was a sailing club near our home that offered this possibility. So it was in Alsace, on the Rhine, that I passed my coastal license (!), followed by the “offshore” extension. Everything was there, except my wife – the main person concerned – the sea and the salt water!
In the meantime, we had of course started talking about our slightly crazy project to our friends and family. Their reactions were a mixture of polite smiles and looks that said, “They’ll get over it”.
Above all, we immersed ourselves in topics such as “sailing around the world” and “catamarans”. We explored everything: websites, magazines, and books on the subject. We read, we dreamed, and above all, we confirmed our decision to set sail on a catamaran (even though we had never set foot on one before!).
Reading is good, but touching, seeing and feeling is even better. It was eventually time for us to visit a boat show, and unsurprisingly, we chose the Salon du Multicoque de la Grande-Motte, now known as the International Multihull Show, [Ed.] It was April 2013, one year to the day after our wedding! And the icing on the cake was that there were three of us, or almost: Aurélia was pregnant with our daughter Louna.
Discovering all these multihulls filled us with wonder and transported us into our dream life. We could see ourselves living there as a family, all year round. So, it was with our hearts completely won over and our eyes full of stars that we made our way home. Our future was clear: it would be on the water and on two hulls!
Dreaming of the open sea and buying a multihull is all well and good, but you still have to be able to finance it and know how to handle a sailboat. We gave ourselves four to five years to complete our project and set sail.
We worked tirelessly, saved money and gave up a lot of things, most of which – let’s be honest – weren’t essential anyway.
We had this dream of setting sail as a family on a catamaran, so we had to find the means to do so. At the same time, we spent all our summer vacations sailing. This was to train ourselves, but also to test different models and designs with the aim of finding the catamaran that would be ideal for our round-the-world trip.
Our First Experience of a Multihull Aboard a Maldives 32
We started out as crewmates. A family with two children was looking for another family to sail in the Gulf of Morbihan on an older model catamaran, a Maldives 32 from Fountaine Pajot.
A catamaran, a crew we got along well with, Brittany (in summer this time): what else did we need to get off to a good start?
The comfort was very basic. The experience, while certainly enriching, proved to be not very relaxing. Louna, our daughter, was not yet one year old and needed constant attention. Aurélia, meanwhile, was sometimes a little queasy. Not because she was seasick, but because she was pregnant with our son, Ayden.
Despite these minor difficulties, we had reached a new milestone and were firmly convinced that our choice to set sail on a multihull was the right one – but with two additional criteria: we now wanted a larger catamaran, and above all, more comfort.
In November 2014, I left my pregnant wife and daughter at home for a new sailing course in northern Brittany. The sea was once again rough, and my pleasure in facing the elements was as intense as ever. It was important for me to get some practice in difficult conditions so that I would be able to handle myself when the time came to sail with my family... and I got what I wanted!
Sailing courses at that time of year and in those conditions attracted few candidates, which meant that we were able to make enormous progress each time, due to the small number of trainees. So each time was a big step forward!
When I returned to Alsace, I had only one desire: to go back to sea. However, I had to be a little patient because my son was due to be born a few months later, in March 2015. In the end, this break didn’t last very long, as Ayden went sailing for the first time when he was only six months old. A future sailor, for sure!
A Captain at Last!
In September of that same year, it was time for us to take the plunge. We were going to sail as a family with only one captain on board – me! We decided to take not only our two young children but also our four parents with us. That way, Aurélia and I could focus on sailing, and the grandparents could focus on their two grandchildren...
To start off gently, we needed a sailing area that wasn’t too demanding. Croatia and its well-sheltered waters between the islands were ideal for beginners like us. Courageous but not reckless, we opted for what seemed to be the right compromise between autonomy and safety: the Flotilla!
How does it work? Several yachts sail together and are supervised by a flagship, whose crew consists of a professional skipper, a mechanic and a hostess. Every morning there was a briefing with information about the weather, the route and, most importantly, the destination for the day, where the flagship crew would be waiting to help us moor. And thank goodness... because in order to fit everyone comfortably into the catamaran, we had rented a Leopard 44... mooring a 13-meter vessel as a novice takes some doing!
It was in this kind of situation - and especially when faced with a fait accompli - that I realized I had been a little too ambitious for my first experience as a captain! Despite this, we managed to take control of our nearly 13-ton catamaran. Admittedly, we broke out in a cold sweat a few times and sometimes had to attempt maneuvers several times, but every day we improved.
In June of the following year, in 2016, we set off again for Croatia. This time, the crew was a little different. In addition to our two children, we had my parents-in-law and a friend on board. Without really knowing it, we had just formed our crew, who would be there for all our future sailing trips.
For this week along the Croatian coast, we had once again opted for flotilla sailing, but this time with a smaller catamaran, a Leopard 38.
Once we got past the inevitable apprehen-sion of the first day, our maneuvers became safer and smoother. The experience I had gained over the years was starting to turn me into a real captain. It was during this trip, close to the famous Krka waterfalls, that our son took his first steps – that must be a good omen, right?
As we sailed and made stops along the way, everyone, adults and children alike, finally found their feet, paving the way for a new phase: sailing without a flotilla!
But before that, I still needed to perfect my skills a little – more to reassure myself than to improve. So I set off again for a sailing course, but this time on a catamaran and far from what I had experienced in Brittany in winter, as the course was taking place in Corsica at the end of summer.
On the program, aboard a Nautitech 40: harbor maneuvers, coastal sailing and aperitifs, all under a bright sun. A taste of our future life? Probably. Will my wife and children like it? I can’t wait to find out!
A New Challenge: Sailing Autonomously
But we still had other appointments before that - sailing is all well and good, but you still need to be organized! That’s why we attended a seminar dedicated to blue water cruising, where most aspects of a long voyage were discussed. In addition to the information we received, it was nice to meet other people who shared our dream and to realize that we weren’t the only crazy ones who wanted to cast off – it felt good! After the seminar, we left with clearer ideas and a stronger desire than ever to set sail!
In June 2017, we were once again enjoying the pleasures of sailing. This time, a new stage was looming for us: sailing completely independently.
We already had the crew; we still had to choose a catamaran and a sailing area. Why not go to Corsica on a Lagoon 400? Sailing in French waters seemed more reasonable, avoiding the language barrier... you never know! So we set sail from Ajaccio to cruise along the coast of the Isle of Beauty.
Casting off, alone for the first time, was stressful but incredibly exciting. We began to taste the salt of true freedom, the kind we had dreamed of for so long. Then, despite a year-long “sailing break”, we continued to work tirelessly and gather information. We also visited boat shows, made contacts, talked, exchanged ideas - in short, we built our future life as sea-faring bohemians!
In June 2019, we set sail for Greece. You don’t change a winning team: it was with the same crew and the same model – a Lagoon 400 – that we set off to explore the Greek coastline.
Despite our limited experience – you don’t become a seasoned sailor by sailing a few weeks a year – we did pretty well. As a bonus, we enjoyed the sun, the sea, the Mediterranean atmosphere that smacks of holidays and... Greek specialties, of course!
The days of crêpes and the icy sea spray of Brittany in February 2013 were long gone... and frankly, although I love crêpes, I wasn’t complaining.
As our project became more concrete, we needed to add a few more strings to our bow to be better prepared and become more self-sufficient. So we booked various technical training courses. On the agenda: mechanics, electrics, meteorology, medicine and survival. A great set of skills to help us cope at sea in case of trouble!
Finding the Catamaran...
At the same time, from our little village in Alsace, we set out to find our future home – a catamaran, ideally between 42 and 45 feet long. We could almost taste the salt on our lips and feel the sea air on our faces...
In the end, it wasn’t sea spray that hit us in the face, but a mask – Covid-19 arrived, putting an end to all our plans... the trip would have to wait.
Two years later, after this troubled period, we surveyed the second-hand catamaran market again. Although we had been able to save for two more years, we were no better off, quite the contrary! The pandemic brought the production of new catamarans to a screeching halt, pushing back delivery times and causing demand for used catamarans to skyrocket – and with it, their prices!
Beyond the asking prices, demand outstripped supply to such an extent that multihulls were selling at breakneck speed.
We experienced this several times: as soon as the ad was posted online, we called the same day, but it was already too late, with several viewings scheduled for that day or the next – the catamaran was therefore already practically sold!
It’s not easy to buy a boat from Alsace, with full-time jobs and children...
Strangely, it wasn’t taking time off work or arranging childcare that were the biggest obstacles. No, it was the distance: the eight-hour drive that separated us from the sea prevented us from being responsive enough. We had to change our strategy.
Shortly afterwards, through sheer perseverance, we finally managed to secure an appointment. There was no need to think twice... We took a few days off work, dropped the children off at their grandparents’ house and set off for the south of France for a few days. We would decide on the spot to see as many catamarans as possible - despite the tight market and the scarcity of opportunities.
On the way, we managed to arrange another visit, so we had two catamarans to see: a Lagoon 450 in Port-Leucate and a Helia 44 in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône.
Arriving a day before our scheduled appointment, we scoured all the brokers in the region, from La Grande-Motte to Canet-en-Roussillon, looking for catamarans for sale. Unfortunately, the answer was always the same: nothing for the moment. But if you keep looking, you’ll eventually find something...
In the end, during our stay, we managed to visit four catamarans: the Lagoon 450 and the Helia 44, of course, but also a Lagoon 500 and a Nautitech 46.
The Lagoon 450 was great: spacious and comfortable, it was already ready to go. Aurélia really liked it.
The Lagoon 500 seemed much too big for us and there was too much work to be done for our liking. The Helia 44 could have been suitable in terms of size but needed a major refit.
As for the Nautitech 46, it was very good, but we didn’t really like the broker.
So we fell in love with the Lagoon 450... as did four other potential buyers. If we wanted to secure it, we had to act fast. The asking price was high (thanks to Covid...), but it was the price we had to pay to leave soon. Before the pandemic, we could have bought it outright, but the price increase forced us to take out a loan. We had been waiting for this moment for 10 years: let’s be crazy, let’s take the plunge! After submitting our offer, torn between fear and excitement, we went home and waited a few days to finally receive a response: the Lagoon was ours! Our profile as a family wanting to travel around the world hit the mark, as this had been the previous owners’ plan, but they had not had the chance to realize it due to a premature death. This was another reason that reinforced our decision to make this dream come true as soon as possible.
The rest fell into place quickly: having the boat surveyed to finalize the sale, selling the house, giving notice to our employers, restarting the training courses that had been cancelled due to Covid and starting to imagine our future life!
To cut a long story short, in July 2022, we were the proud owners of a Lagoon 450, which we still needed to improve. Even when a boat is ready to sail, it’s never completely ready... This optimization project took place in Port-Leucate. While the work was being done, everything else fell into place: the house was sold, we resigned from our jobs and said goodbye to family and friends.
Finally, in December 2022, we moved into our new “home”.
As the weather is not particularly mild in the Mediterranean in winter, we stayed in port until April 2023, when we (finally) cast off the mooring lines and set off on our adventure!
To all those who dream of leaving, go for it! Life is too short to put your dreams on hold.
Such a change in lifestyle involves many aspects and requires good preparation. That’s why Aurélia and I have created a blog to help others who dream of something different, just as we did. We share all of this on our blog changer-de-vie-et-voyager.com. Whether you’re planning to set sail or just curious, feel free to take a look.
The next instalment will be in a forthcoming edition of Multihulls World.
