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Logbook of the crew 2019

March 15-16: Departure of expedition and arrival in the unknown

March 15, 2020, after a year of preparation, fundraising, scientific reflection and development of awareness tools, it's finally the day of the big departure ! Direction the South, and more precisely Toulon. We are thrilled at the idea of leaving and bringing the fruit of our efforts to fruition. But a feeling of worry torments us. The coronavirus threatens our expedition, and we are afraid of not being able to leave. We have brought forward the departure from Paris by a week, in order to be on the boat if confinement is declared. Note that Elora had to return to the Pyrenees to recover her belongings. Three of us are leaving Paris, Cléa Benjamin and I (Cosme).

The trip is a bit sporty. Each of us carries between 3 and 4 travel bags, and we are constantly stopped by Benjamin's fishing rod. Attached to the side of her hiking pack and non-retractable, she periodically gets caught in pipes and other obstacles hanging from the ceiling of the station. Despite this, we landed in Toulon without incident. Quitterie, a member of SEA Plastics 2019, graciously welcomes us for the night.

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The next morning is devoted to shopping. It's not easy to make large stocks at the moment, supermarkets are being taken by storm. We fall back on the small shops and manage to gather enough pasta, rice, can of tuna and tomato puree to hold a seat. Then, we embark for the island of Embiez with all our food.

Erick is waiting for us on the quay and leads us to the Dune. Finally we see him, and he is handsome ! It is an elegant vessel, both long and narrow. Its design is more reminiscent of the racing ship rather than the cruise ship. We just want to hoist the sails and ride the waves ! But, we must restrain our ardor. Tomorrow, and we will then decide on the continuation of the expedition after Emmanuel Macron's speech. In the meantime, we take our quarters. Erick settles in the captain's room. Cléa puts her things in the forward cabin. And Benjamin and I are moving into the two aft cabins. After two days spent prancing around, we have finally returned to our home for the next 5 months. A quick dinner, a little drink to chat with Erick and get to know him, and hello, to bed !

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Frederic Ronteix

Perrine Saulenc

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