June 2008 2008

Hello everyone,

May is a wonderful month for sailing... Aren't they all, in fact? I, for one, have paid a visit to an island that's difficult to reach, and where I had been lucky enough to be able to land... 22 years ago, Pitcairn, where the "mutineers on the Bounty" had taken refuge : after revolting against ferocious Captain Bligh, they realized that the whole British navy would go after them to hang them, so they went to hide in the most inaccessible island they could find, at the far end of Polynesia.

Taking advantage of a rotation of the wind to the West , I headed for Pitcairn, I had to wait two days , anchored in the open sea in the lee of small Oeno atoll, then the weather allowed me to go and anchor for one day in Bounty Bay, and to land for a few hours. A few of Pitcairn's inhabitants ( they are almost all descended from Bounty mutineers) took me for rides on the "quads" that are the only vehicles on the island, and I was able to take the photographs I had missed on my first visit, to film in HD and also to stock up with fruit.

Then I sailed back to Oeno atoll, I entered its pass ( it is a little frightening), and was able to spend four glorious days inside this minuscule and magnificent lagoon, among the sea birds that lay their eggs and raise their chicks on the main island's sand.

If you have a chance to watch French television, you might have seen that the beautiful top-model Adriana Karembeu now appears with me in the ads for my sponsor "Atol", the optometrists. Next month we will be seen riding a sports car on a beautiful road to the Cape of Good Hop. Last week, there was a commotion in Tahiti, as Adriana was there with her husband, Soccer player Christian Karembeu, playing a celebration game with the best champions of the French football team. Great changes are coming on our website, Francette is working at them, it will be wonderful !