May 2017

Return to Fakarava !

After a false start, as the weather was still a bit doubtful, on April 1st, with plenty of fish in the lagoon around, Banana Split was released in the Apataki lagoon, and I sailed easily to of Fakarava, where I planned to settle for six weeks, with a rather busy schedule!
"There are years when you would like to do nothing": the late Pierre Barouh, singer and actor ( Claude Lelouch?s ?A man and a woman?), had made this phrase the motto of his very atypical recording company . Doing nothing this year was somehow my plan, but we happened to ring back from a trip to Cuba so many pictures, festive and colorful, that we decided to publish our film aout this island and the changes taking place there in October 2017. And then Gallimard, our pulisher of 24 years, after the success of our "Stopovers in Polynesia" and awaiting the publication, planned next year of our "Stopovers in the Caribean", suggested, to keep our readers waiting, to realize a weekly planner so that, throughout 2018, people can, each week, dream of a suitable destination for the season; A few more articles to write, plus learning to handle the drone, that's enough to occupy my days y one of our favorite lagoons, while waiting for Francette to join me to head for one of our favorite desert islands.

By an incredible chance a Corsican friend who?s een living for twelve years in Fakarava enjoys a much better Internet connection than those usually found in this archipelago, avery welcome convenience for the work I have to do this month, and he has allowed me to use a small palm covered hut, where Ive established my editing and writing studio, and where I go every day with impressive punctuality, leaving Banana Split at anchor off a friendly little crêperie called La Paillote; I thought that it would amuse you to see me go to my work, with the faithful Little Drone

Throughout the month of April, only one rotation of the wind to the west obliged me to leave the anchorage for a few days; I took the opportunity to go and film the Green Lagoon, one of the little known wonders of Fakarava, here are some raw images. And then, at anchor in Hirifa, the best anchorin bg spot when the wind continues its rotation to the south, I took advantage of torrential rains to fill all the tanks, cans and bottles of the boat.

Back in my office ;-) Isend you my wishes for a memorable month of May


Antoine