January 2018

Paris boat show and Santa Clauses ...

Back in the small "office" in Fakarava that I had revealed to you last spring with our little drone, I look back on a month of December rich in events.
Parallel to the last week of our conference tour, marked in particular by an evening at Paris' Maison des Oceans, our stay at the Salon Nautique, albeit brief, was rich in meetings, with the "dauphines" of Miss Tahiti, the French Minister of Overseas, Annick Girardin, from St Pierre and Miquelon, where my parents knew her family well; also present, Titouan Lamazou, jjust like me, every year, as a mafk of fidelity for our joint publisher, Françoise Chabbert, better known under the name of Fanchon.


The announcement of the departure of French Rock an Roll idol Johnny (gone to play Rock and Roll with Elvis, Hendrix and Lennon) obviously upset all of France, I received a large number of calls from all TV channels anb radio stations etc. who wanted to all remember our famous long hair war of the sixties ... In a topic broadcast on France 2, one could saw Johnny explain that we had fun, him and me, with thas adventure that the press took so seriously. Not very hot for big ceremonies, I did not attend the one at the Chuech of la Madeleine; I will rather greet him quietly in St Barth next spring.

And then I took the Air Tahiti Nui plane for Papeete, spent a few days in a small studio with a magnificent view of the lagoon and Moorea; the flame trees are in full bloom (and full explosion) in the gardens of Tahiti.
In Apataki, Banana Split was put back in the water for my arrival, and I returned to our favorite atolls; my son Teiki and his girlfriend Evelyne came to spend a few days on board, and then I celebrated a very quiet Christmas (in bed at 9 o'clock!) thinking back to the many Santa Claus met during our tour. Francette will join me on January 2nd and it will be the most beautiful gift ever.

I wish you a bright 2018 year and to begin a warm January.
Antoine