September 2012

Hello everyone,

The first part of August was quiet, the second much more hardworking. We first spent ten days in one of our favorite anchorages at the southern end of the atoll of Fakarava, surprisingly quiet and spectacular ... Yet it is difficult not to report an invasion of several atolls of Polynesia by a disease which may be the one called "lethal yellowing of coconut trees" an illness that is rampant everywhere in the tropics: five years ago we took wonderful pictures with an extraordinary light of this bay dominated by huge coconut curves bold ... We had not really noticed that much of the palms were turning yellow ... and a few years later, dozens of coconut palms have lost their entire head. Younger, perhaps less fragile trees have survived, but this year , it might be for the same reason that there are virtually no coconut trees on some islands ; fortunately, other shorter coconut trees, maybe resistant species, that have been planted around the village, do not seem to fear this disease ... a problem to follow closely.

Then we reached the village of Rotoava to welcome two of my children, Vaimiti and Teiki for a few days of cruising in the atoll towards the "green lagoon" where they went in pursuit of small sharks, and then we made a short crossing together, a little less than forty-eight hours, to Tahiti, and they immediately landed to climb the summit of the second highest mountain on the island, Mount Aorai.

Then I starded on my working program on the boat : this year, I hauled the boat out in a modern shipyard, in Papeete, and hanging from the huge Travelift (a kind of gantry on wheels), which can lift 300 tons, Banana Split really looked lioke a toy ! My program : refurbishment of the two propeller shafts whose seals were worn and were loosing oil in the holds.

And here I am again for a few days at the Yacht Club of Arue (it is here that thirty-five years ago I met legendary French sailor Bernard Moitessier. In a few days I will moor Banana Split in a small marina in the region to go spend three months in France: the program will be very hot this year, it will start when I arrive with the Grand Pavois of La Rochelle (I am a special guest at the 40th edition of boat show hed afloat), then a week shooting on location on the shores of the North Sea for a series of programs based on our videos. The rest, my new book, a new film, a new album of songs, I'll tell about them you as soon as they are published ...

I wish you all a good return to shool or work, and a super September.

Antoine