April 2011 2011

Hello everyone,

Hello and thank you to those who have been worried about us during the tsunami that hit Japan and was felt far into the Pacific. We were well protected inside the lagoon of our favorite atoll in the Tuamotu, and we felt absolutely nothing; there was some damage in the Marquesas, known to suffer from tsunamis because they possess deep valleys that penetrate far inland, a configuration that accentuates the effect; the police had warned all boats at anchor in these bays, asking them to leave the anchorage and go wait offshore, where the effects of a tsunami are generally minimal. In the Gambier Islands (where we were there less than a year ago), a wave rose up to five feet against a wall in the bay where our friends Edouard and Denise live, in Angakauitai, but did no damage.

We hesitated a long time to stick to our plans to film in Japan in early April at the time of cherry blossoms, the famous sakura. But although the southern island, Kyushu, which we had in mind this time, did not suffer, it seemed that the Japanese would certainly not have the heart to celebrate so early the return of spring, so we have chosen to delay this journey: our film about Japan probably will not be released until next year. We are all heart with our Japanese friends, especially those in the region of Matsushima, close to the city of Sendai, the nearest to the earthquake's epicentre: last year, we've filmed there a set of islets connected by wooden bridges, which is one of the three most photographed sites in the country. Unlike the vast Bay of Sendai, Matsushima Bay is protected by a string of islands that have, hopefully, lessened the impact (confirmed here : http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Sendai-Honolulu-Journal/March-2011/Saturday-March-26-Matsushima-Magic/)

Our stay in the eastern Tuamotu has therefore ended very calmly, we unfortunately could not stay until the birth of the baby turtles in our island, but we wish them good luck, as the island is little frequented by frigate birds, these large birds that eat a lot of new born baby turtles when they come out of the sand of the sand and rush to the sea. We've spent the last few days shooting footage for a show on France's TV channel M6 called Private Access. It gave us the chance to take the photos - under sail and on deck - that illustrate this letter, which I write to you on board the Air Tahiti Nui plane as we return to France for a two month stay.

Our program: completing the editing of our film dedicated to the Indian Ocean islands (Reunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Seychelles), publishing an "app" for the IPad including more than two hundred excerpts of our films (both in French and English language), and working on new a book about animals that Gallimard has offered to publish: I'll tell you more about this book next month. In late May, we will return to the Tuamotu, via Japan, if the situation there has improved, which I truly, sincerely hope.
Bye to all
Antoine