Plenty of others have done it, but to leave dry land knowing that you have 5000kms to cover before seeing it again is still a big deal. We were reassured by our hosts, whose sailing expertise and welcome had been confirmed during several months’ practice! We weighed anchor in the Bahamas in the middle of May, and our mini floating company was up and running. Its mission was to ensure the well-being and safety of everyone on our journey. A mixture of Carpe Diem and Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey which was now a well-oiled machine. We raised a beer to the bonitos, tuna, dolphins and…the mermaids (I’m sure that some of the crew saw some in the moonlight)!
As far as meals were concerned, we became incredibly inventive with what we had (the fishing catch was disappointing). As for the watches, we kept an eye out for the rainy and windy squalls, and for cargo ships (which became so rare that it was quite emotional when we saw one. In my worklife I see a lot of depression (psychological not barometric)! But these are simply moments that we had to overcome. We fought through storms and waves which followed us. We therefore all got to know each other by experiencing amazing situations together: whether it’s a head in a bucket or getting our faces splashed by the waves in the middle of the night, or even our individual reactions to heavy weather and more. Yet the 18 days with seven people in close confinement passed without the slightest issue. And what about the immensity of the ocean? It’s the 360° horizon every day, the rising and setting of the sun and the moon with nothing between us and them. It’s all about being a tiny speck on a blue disk spinning through infinity We arrived on the other side of the Atlantic, more beautiful (weathered by the spray), full of life, certainly more humble, and richer for our experiences! Thank you to the Tolimaras!
Who: Thomas, Lisa, Mathilde and Raphaël: The Tolimaras, and their crew for the crossing: Inès, Sébastien and Richard.
Boat : Pouplier 3, Catana 47
Where: Atlantic Ocean
Blog : www.radiotolimara.blog
