Firstly I knew that the political situation was most critical with the arrival of Jair Bolsonaro at the head of the government which provoked many historical changes in the country and therefore it would be an opportunity for me to do documentary photography.

Secondly I had read the book “Fluent in 3 months” so I put in my head that I would challenge myself to speak Portuguese fluently in 3 months.

And lastly I knew that the period to hitchhike across the Atlantic from east to west was from September until March. It seems crazy but it is an actual tradition that has existed since we sail the oceans, the boat owners look for crew members for all the elements of the life on boat that need to be shared and to take watches at night for everyone to get some rest.

There are different ways to find boats. One of them is to look online, so out of curiosity this is what I did. I searched on the french website Bourse aux équipiers and I found someone looking for 2 crew members. I will never forget this moment. It was a Saturday morning just before Christmas, I called:

“Hello captain. Are you going to sail the Atlantic?”

He said: “Yes, we’re leaving in 2 days, are you ready?

There, in the blink of an instant my mind flipped upside down, since I wasn’t ready at all, but I answered: “Yes!”

I had 2 days to get ready, I was far from my home of the moment. In the afternoon I hitchhiked from Paris to Niort where I had left my van, some 400km. I love to hitchhike for many reasons. The main one is the human aspect, I provoke connections with strangers. Moments of encounter and opening of human being who will in a short time learn to know about each other. Provoking our instinct to trust in others. To enrich each other with our stories, our passions, our thoughts, our cultures and visions of what is to live. Secondly there is the ecological and economical aspect.

In France I have a little trick to hitch long distances. I practice what is called the “Active hitchhiking” going directly to meet the drivers on service stations, look at them humanly in the eyes and simply say “hello”. I ask them to drop me in the service station before they leave the highway. Of all the experiences I have had, I have only be very rarely disappointed. Only once, crossing Spain.

So there again, it had been exceptional, I found my van, started thinking what I would have to prepare to sail the ocean and leave for a long time. The next day, the store Decathlon was open, on a Sunday! And I took the basic equipment I needed for sailing. And the next day I hit the road to find my future partners. I took a carpool with Blablacar until Quimper and then, at night, I hitchhiked. Britany is one of the special regions of France where anything can happen and I trusted deeply that I would be happily surprised by the Breton. Magic happened and little after I reached the old harbor of Douarnenez.

I discover the boat and the team. The boat is a 13m prestige all wooden sailboat with 2 masts, from 1968 and her name is “Queequeg”. A very traditional boat with a lot of history entirely made in France that has no auto pilot. The team, 3 men from Britany including the captain Mike who is a co-owner of the boat. I receive a warm welcome inside the boat and we go to the nearby bar to celebrate the event. On my way, a woman appeared out of nowhere and without saying a word gave me an orange and a smile. A beautiful symbolic gesture that deeply touched me and made me feel that I was in the right place at the right moment and that everything in this sailing journey would be fine.

We return to the boat to sleep as we were to leave the next morning. I take a moment outside alone to breath, think about the moment that I was living, take a picture and send a message to my family and friends.

The next morning, 25th of December 2018, we left to cross the bay of Biscay until Corunha in Spain. I had very little experience of sailing but I was very determined to learn and follow the orders of our captain. Quite a few essential maneuvers to understand and know what has to be done. Some vocabulary, few knots and some navigation knowledge. Luckily in the boat there was some classical books on sailing to understand all the theory. The practice would happen on board. There I discover the wonderful feeling of freedom and classical exploration that brings sailing. As well as a profound connection with the ocean, the basic elements of air and water. Being in movement pushed by the strength of the wind, without the noise of an engine. Feeling empowered, able to reach any place in the world. But also feeling humble because you are in the middle of an element that can get very wild, that you have to respect.

The first night was quite turbulent, all the crew had vomited except me and the captain. I was at the helm, holding on and breathing deeply. When I left my watch to be replaced by the captain, as I went inside the boat I felt bad and immediately went outside… to puke and remain outside.

We finally reached Corunha, were we would rest a couple of days and celebrate the new years Eve. Rediscover the feeling of being on land. Run to the confort of a warm shower!
We welcome onboard a new crew member, Almu, an incredible girl from the south of Spain. A social activist with a strong character who brought some good change to the dynamic in our group.

Life with this crazy crew

There was no moment to get bored because all of them were unique characters. I laughed so much. Sometimes I would take notes of the jokes and funny situations.

One day in Corunha, as we were going to town with Fred and Sergio, we crossed a very kind lady. I explained that we were doing a sailing trip. She told me that she had never sailed and would dream to do it once.

I took her contact and later told our captain about the idea. So we took her and some friends of Almu for a little afternoon trip. Little very valuable shared pleasure.

Reminder of the reality of fear

On my night shift the day before we were to arrive in Lanzarote, I was alone, it was dark and the weather was little rough but nothing uncontrollable. I had my mind in my thought like often on these contexts. I was thinking about the relation with fear. A friend of mine, Benoit Richer who has a travel blog , had asked me to write an article on the subject. So I was thinking of all the moments where I have pushed myself out of my confort zone and how things evolved through time. The beauty of this process and how we can achieve things beyond what we think we could ever be capable just by starting small challenges. To then after some life experiences we feel more relaxed in the idea of facing fearful situation, because the experience has taught us and made us feel comfortable. To trust more in ourselves.

And this is when a big wave came to the side of the boat with a blow of wind!! The boat leaned so much that I felt that it would turn over! I dont know the words to express what I felt. But I really thought that I would end up in the water and live the most terrific death…

Luckily the boat didn’t turn over. I shouted for help. All the crew was awake. The captain came but told me there was not much to be done, we had already put the sail at a low level. There’s no brake on a sailboat and there’s no way to tell the weather to calm down. So I spent the rest of my shift with the rough weather. I put a life jacket and attached myself to the life line. That was a big mistake I’ll never do again. Always be attached on the boat at night.

That was a lesson that we are never safe and fear is part of life. So we should not stop ourselves from following our dreams because of the things that could go wrong, but always relax, trust and have the right amount of carefulness.

After 7 days at sea, we were very happy to see land. And there, started a new challenge for me. I had to find another boat for the rest of my journey because they had changed plan. We shared a last night together with the crew to celebrate the good times shared and the exceptional aspect that is to sail together.

Then I started looking for a place to stay. I went to an acroyoga lesson to have a good time and I knew that I would meet wonderful people that might be likely to be happy to welcome a traveller for a couple days. And this is how I met Blas, a music teacher from the island. With him I found a friend, someone to share moments with and who would show me the authentic life in Lanzarote.

I also got the pleasure to work photographing the workshops of some of the best international acroyoga teachers. Sharon and Oliver from Acromoves and Carú González, David Worrow and David Sanjuan from Acrology. They organize a variety of events around the connection to our surrounding. Other people and nature. With acroyoga, massage, hiking, surfing, climbing, playing, dancing, singing and good food. To develop in ourselves the capacity to trust in others and build an attitude of benevolence.

And the best is that they bring this to where it is most needed by getting involved in social projects. Like penitentiaries, orphanages, youth detention centres, people with reduced mobility, and other social minorities

Lucky to live for a moment the life on an island, I got reminded the omnipresence of the plastic. As I was walking on the beach, I picked up as much plastic waste as I could and I discovered for the first time, the micro plastics washed up by the beach. All over the entire length of the beach. Heartbreaking.

Plastics never disintegrate, it turns into very tiny toxic particles that spread all over and asphyxiate everything.

We have to do all we can. The main solution is to take on a zero waste attitude, by reducing as much as possible our consumption of plastics, it’s a marvelous challenge with a lot to learn.

Then picking up plastics everywhere we go is an activity that becomes a well being routine, of feeling that we do what is right. And as we do it, we are seen by others who might question themselves and then may also start changing their attitude towards pollution.

And dream!

I mostly dreamed of Brazil, my destination. I read the book “Fluent in 3 months” again and I made up a whole plan to manage speaking Portuguese fluently in 3 months. I had with me2 comics from Asterix and Obelix, a tiny dictionary, a phrasebook and a book written in Portuguese and English. I projected myself arriving in Brasil. What would I say?

“I gave myself the challenge of speaking Portuguese fluently in 3 months”, “Can you help me?”, “What’s your favorite word?”, “Tell. me your story”, “What makes you happy in life?”, “What’s your biggest dream?”, “Can you recommend me some music or film?”.

I imagined What I would say when people would ask about me. And I looked for all these words in the tiny dictionary to then put them in my notebook, in Portuguese only. I would then read these notes again and again until I would familiarize with the words.

Then I set myself a target, a real crazy ambitious target. I would have to find a way to be on TV after 3 months in Brazil!

To realize this final challenge, I would divide in smaller challenges, every week and every months, to make sure I would enough progress so that I would feel confortable speaking in front of the camera.

“Une nouvelle journée ensoleillée vient de se lever dans la ville la plus prodigieuse de l’univers : ROME”

When I read this first sentence in Asterix and Obelix in Portuguese “Um novo e ensolarado dia acaba de nascer na mais prodigiosa cidade do universo: ROMA” I was really happy to see that I could understand, it was enough to do a little effort.

This is away from the story of the transatlantic, but one day, 2 months after being in Brazil, I was in a restaurant with a Brazilian friend. I could have fluid conversations with her but couldn’t understand what the others around us would be speaking about, but she could and said we should say hello to the couple next to us. They were indeed some of the most amazing people I’ve had the chance to meet. We had a great conversation, they were curious about my experiences and the man said “I am the president of a TV channel, we would love to invite you for an interview”!!

5 days after we left Lanzarote, we woke up with a pigeon on the boat. We guessed that he lost track while he was transiting between the Canary islands and Cape Verde. He became our mascot. A feathered friend on a journey with us. We fed him seeds and gave him water everyday. And also cleaned after him.

During most of the crossing we have had very little wind and one day when we were in the very middle of the ocean we had no wind at all, I decided to jump! With nothing at more than 4000km around and 6000m deep, I swam to experiment this feeling of my body only in the immensity.

I opened my eyes, to see how deep was the ocean, and I saw a shadow!! In a rush, I very quickly swam back to the boat. I took some goggles because I was curious to see what was in the water, it was a medium sized fish, nothing very dangerous.