La version française de cette page, par Christophe
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Previous projects:
2023-2024.
«3×10!»: SY L’Envol and crew celebrated the 10th anniversary of the good ship’s cast off from France while sailing her home. The collected «birthday presents» helped us with all running costs along the way as well as the boat maintenance on the hard in Trinidad. Carried out in Brazil, the Antilles, the Azores, Spain and France. Funds gathered: 2230 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Story
SY L’Envol departed France on October 28, 2013 with a four-year loop around the world in Christophe’s mind… little did he know! The boat had been built that same year and in 2023 she became 10, just as the journey. The third 10-year-old in toe was the website, the virtual companionway into Christophe and Carina’s lives.
That 10th anniversary year of the voyage was a big milestone, which marked the end of L’Envol’s circumnavigation and also the feared and awaited return to Europe. Was the life on water going to continue or were her inhabitants going to wash off the salt to tread a different path? – was a good question to be answered. The closer they got, the less invincible they felt. Homegoings do that. However, the decision-time was put off for later, as there were still several new horizons to reach, among them the Caribbean Islands, the Azores, Spain and last but not least – France.
All readers were invited to help the little ship and crew live, sail and celebrate the 10th year L’Envol had cast off from home waters.Close
Thank you: Pa’ (France), Tantine (France), Yacht Club Hendaye (France), Fred & Cécile (France), Jojo & Cécile (France), Phil P (Germany), Eric D (Reunion Island), François A (France), Christopher M (Australia), Manu (Reunion Island), Bernard M (France), Marc & Marie (France), Alex (France), Anne & Phil (Australia), Pa’ & Mam’ (France), Noni (Australia), Marc & Agnès (New-Caledonia), Lyndon W (Australia), Christophe Henry (France)
2023. «Atlantic Crossing: Cheese and Potatoes!»: L’Envol got stocked up for the long voyage across the South Atlantic and later the North Atlantic Ocean. Carried out in South Africa and Brazil. Funds gathered: 1333 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Story
In Part 1 of that project L’Envol and crew had raised funds for the big grocery shop that would help them to cross the South Atlantic from South Africa to Brazil.
The month-long passage from Cape Town to Cabedelo saw L’Envol cross her own wake from 9 years ago and thus complete the west-bound circumnavigation. Nonetheless, plenty of ocean water was still left to cover, roughly: 2000 nautical miles to the Antilles, 2100 nautical miles to the Acores and another 1300 to France.
Part 2. The call for donations remained open as the crew prepared to sail the ship from Brazil to Europe. On that leg, the plan was to stop on little islands where most of the food would be imported and dear. Hence it was best get supplies in Cabedelo where good-bargain local products galore. Brazil was also the land of outdoor markets where eggs, fruit and vegetables knew no fridge and were thus better acclimatised to the tropical temperatures aboard. The popular local dish of rice, beans and salted meat called charqui could be well adapted to our fridgeless ship as such meat can be stored at room temperature.
One month of provisions is about all the boat can carry. The voyage, however, was going to be longer, which meant that we also had to stock up along the way.Close
Thank you: Bruno A (France), Marc D (France), Mapie & Dominique (French Caribbean), Jojo & Cécile (France), Marc D (Switzerland), Thierry C (Switzerland), Patrick S (Ireland), Peter & Harriet P (United Kingdom), André B (France), Noni (Australia), Isabelle & William (France), Lorenzo F (USA/Switzerland), Ian F (Australia), Phil P (Germany), Henri M (France), Yann A (France), Jean-Paul AS (France), Pa’ (France)
Special thanks go to: Vasu and Jane (Richards Bay, South-Africa) for the kind donation of essential groceries in the very beginning of our South African adventure, some of which made it across the ocean ; Nigel and Fiona (Durban, South Africa) for the gift of home made spice – masala, hot sauce and biltong which they sent us by mail ; Irene (Jamestown, St Helena Island) for giving Christophe access to her roof from where he collected a whole bag of sweet mangoes for the voyage.
2022-2023. «Critical Equipment»: New shrouds and stays of SY L’Envol – the cables which hold up nothing less but the mast itself. Carried out in Australia and South Africa. Funds gathered: 270 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Story
«Your house shall be not an anchor but a mast,» wrote Khalil Gibran. How true this rings to the heart of two nomads! Holding up our mast are a bunch of cables – shrouds and stays. However, after 9 years and 38000 nautical miles sailed, this critical equipment had a rightful reason to be tired. Although we had to order some of the fittings and terminations in from Europe, the rest of the work could be done in Australia: Bryce, Sydney based rigger, sourced the wires, cut them to measure and swaged the terminations. L’Envol raced the 8 kg parcel to Cairns where Christophe then took on the challenge of replacing the shrouds. His climbing background came in handy – he did everything with the mast up while the boat was tied to a mooring buoy in Smiths Creek.
With Joe and Loc
Next came changing the forestay in an improvised workshop on a piece of grass near the boat ramp. It was a battle (and not just with the sandflies) which involved help from kind by-passers, Joe and Loc, with perfect tools in their back pocket and of course extra muscle power to free the old cable from the furler. We hoped, but couldn’t quite go without ordering in more parts. This is how a few days we were supposed to stay in Cairns became 4 weeks.
Five months later…
Kayo’s master-class!
On November 16, 2022, in Richards Bay, which was our first stop in South Africa, Christophe finally changed our backstay – the top half and the 2 cascades are now in Dyneema Dynice Dux 6mm.
Thank you Kayo, on SV Nausikaa, for lending us your special splicing tool and showing how to use it.Close
Thank you: Patrick L (France), Noni (Australia), Pa’ & Mam’ (France), Jojo & Cécile (France), John H (Australia)
2019-2022.
«Around Australia – Life Aboard»: The grand tour of Australian continent, initially programmed for one year, became three years as the country closed its interstate borders due to the coronavirus pandemic. L’Envol spent «the lockdown years» in Tasmania and could only continue the project in January 2022. Carried out in Australia. Funds gathered: 6172 Euros (AUD $10 287). Call for donations: closed.
Thank you: Dave & Michelle (Australia), Laurent (France), Jean-Paul B (France), Paulo (Portugal), Alexandre (France), Isabelle & William (France), Tamar Yacht Club (Australia), Bev & Rob (Australia), Debbie & Nelson (Australia), Nicolas (France), Pa’ & Mam’ (France), Joseph (France), Zoltán (Hungary), Jojo & Cécile (France), Patrick (France), Michael (Australia), Chris (United Kingdom), Tiiu (Estonia), Bruce (Australia), Anne & Phil (Australia), Chris & Margie (Australia), Jonathan & Wendy (Australia), Auli & Hannu (Finland), David (Australia), Cécile (New-Caledonia), Sue & Ray (Australia), Bruno (France), Gwendal (France), Phil & Nad (France), Christophe Henry (France), Jérôme S (Reunion Island), Jean-Paul AS (France), Jérôme L (France), Vonvon (France), Tantine (France)
Special thanks go to: our generous hosts during entire 2021, the Tamar Yacht Club, especially Greg and Alana, Roger and Cheryl, John and Di, Ron and Sylvia, Lionel and Ute as well as the villagers of Murdunna who looked after us in winter 2020, especially Tim and Carol, Rob and Gina, Chris and Margie.
2021-2022.
«Critical Equipment»: A need to do something about our anchor, very rusty after 520 anchorages, had a ripple effect that led us to a different rode concept. Instead of buying a new anchor, the Spade has been re-galvanised, with a longer, stronger and lighter 6mm lifting chain replacing our bulky 8mm chain. Carried out in Australia. Funds gathered: 610 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Thank you: Pa’ & Mam’ (France), Debbie & Nelson (Australia), Jojo & Cécile (France), Amanda (Australia), Paul (Sweden), Phil P (Germany), Laurent (France), Ken (Australia)
Very special thanks go to Jonathan Neeves from Sydney (Australia), without whose good will, advice, contacts, logistical help, materials, unconditional time and work he did in his shed before and after galvanising, this project would have had a very different outcome. All that he did for free and without having ever met us!
2020-2021.
«Critical Equipment»: New autopilot control screen for SY L’Envol. Carried out in Australia. Funds gathered: 540 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Thank you: Tantine (France), Ted & Lisa (Australia)
2020. «Surgery»: An impressive public hospital bill was paid after Christophe’s thumb got into an accident and needed stitching up. Carried out in Australia. Funds gathered: 2115 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Story
Friends in Murdunna had given us a hand sewing new upholstery for our v-berth and bunks, in turn we offered our help cutting firewood. What could have been a beautiful example of community work, ended abruptly with Christophe’s thumb getting caught between a log and the hydraulic wood splitter. He was rushed to the public hospital in Hobart, 100 km away, to find out that he had been extremely lucky – all bones were intact as well as the nerves. A plastic surgery was still necessary to fix him up but there is a likely chance of full recovery.
Our gratitude goes to: good drivers Tim and Carol, Rob and Gina, David and Kathryn; friendly and professional Royal Hobart Hospital Emergency and Short Stay Surgery teams; David and Kathryn for offering us their home and care in Hobart. To our anchorage neighbour, Two Dogs, for his patience and precision during the delicate task of removing the stitches.
Nonetheless the hospital bill adds up to more than what is our 4 months budget.Close
Thank you: Dave & Michelle (Australia), Bev & Rob (Australia), Sindi & Peter (Australia), Phillipa (Australia), Jane & Marc (French Polynesia), Victoria & Ben (Australia), Jean (France), Lyndon (Australia), Jérôme (France), Jojo & Cécile (France), Gilles (France), Georges (France), Bruno (France), Philippe (France), Claude (France), Phil & Nad (France), Jean-Paul (France), Luca (Spain), Charles (France), Yann (France), Lulu (France), Christophe Henry (France), Vonvon (France), Richard (USA), Laurent (France), Régis (France), Isabelle & William (France)
2020-2021.
«Critical Equipment»: One 100Ah Lithium battery, of only 13 kilos, replaced two 100Ah AGMs, weighing 30 kilos each! New technology that allows such « weightloss » as well as more efficient energy management, has, however, a different logic of charge and discharge, and we had to modify L’Envol’s electrical system accordingly. Carried out in Australia. Funds gathered: 360 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Thank you: Jérôme (France), Gerry & Rosy (Australia), Joke (Netherlands)
2017-2018.
«Dress her up!»: Antifouling and new sails for SY L’Envol. Carried out in Fiji and New Caledonia. Funds gathered: 2120 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Thank you: Jojo & Cécile (France), Julian (France), Siiri (Estonia), Little Ship Club (New-Zealand), Riki (New-Zealand), Mam’ (France), Phil & Nad (France), Jean-Paul (France), Phillip (United Kingdom), François (France), Jean (France), Jacques & Sophie (France), Patrick L (France), Jérôme S (Reunion Island), Luca (Spain), Jérôme L (France), Alex (France), Vonvon (France), Etienne (France), Chris (United Kingdom), Renat (France), Philippe C (France), Patrick G (France), Auré (France), Tchouky (France), Pierre (France), Philippe B (France), Stéphane (France)
2016-2017.
«Fit as a fiddle»: Many boatworks carried out on SY L’Envol in Tahiti. Funds gathered: 1100 Euros. Material support: 3300 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Thank you: Henri (France), Jean (France), Daniel (Estonia), Vladimir (Estonia), Stéphane & Anne (Madera), Jojo & Cécile (France), Geneviève (France), Pierre (France)
2016.
«Provisioning»: Astronomical prices in French Polynesia inspire the crew of SY L’Envol to start their first crowdfunding appeal. Carried out in the Gambier Islands. Funds gathered: 625 Euros. Call for donations: closed.
Thank you: Daniel (Estonia), Stephane (Switzerland), Phil & Nad (France), Jérôme (France), Pa’ (France)
