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 "De la visite" ... Imagine my surprise when in spite of being totally isolated , alone in this vast blue
universe for so long, I see a helicopter approaching. It circles around OCEOR, obviously very pleased to
have located us in such an immense space. A voice on the VHF says "The frigate PRAIRIAL will arrive in 20
minutes. We are steaming to CLIPPERTON to touch base with Jean Louis Etienne, and are stopping to check you're ok."
Eh ben ! ! ! I'm all smiles, deliriously happy to be reunited with humanity after so long. Soon, there it is, an impressive frigate with a crew of 90, almost surreal. My amazement is doubled when I see them launching a Zodiac to come and take photos. They look at me wide eyed, I savour this beautiful encounter. Ils ont à peine regagné leur bord qu’à Paris on a déjà reçu les clichés, all this must surely be magic!! They depart peacefully and I am alone again as if it has all been a dream ... "le droit de rêver" Gros bisous à tout le monde ... Maud . . . . . chatting to Priarial on VHF |
... Sorry OCEOR |
Tahiti Nui III to the rescue ... OCEOR is already embarked on the GIP (Groupement d'intervention de la Polynésie) ship on his way to Papeete ...
Thankyou GIP ... .... (click photos for story ... Crédit: DR - Tahitipresse)
"Blocage de la zone portuaire par le GIP: incident à l'arrivée d'un navire" ... (Tahitipresse) - Débuté jeudi matin, le blocage de la zone portuaire de Papeete par des agents du GIP (Groupement d'intervention de la Polynésie) qui refusent la mise à l'écart de leur ancien chef, Léonard Puputauki, se poursuit. Quelques "échauffourées" se seraient produits, samedi matin, à l'arrivée dans le port du "Tahiti Nui VI", l'un des navires du GIP. |
| Log & Positions of MAUD FONTENOY rowing from Callao Peru to Tahiti (contact Maud Maud@fontenoy.com or Robert row@fastmail.fm) |
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previous logs Listen to Maud
Write a message for Maud (in your language is ok)
(see animated WindWave forecast image & surface winds) L'Arrivée !! à Jean-Louis Etienne, encore sur l'île de Clipperton. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined such a reception ... Les marquisiens ont ouvert les bras d'une facon mémorable. It will remain one of the most beautiful memories of my life. What a picture OCEOR puffing out his chest with pride au milieu des traditionnels Va'a recouverts de fleurs de toutes les couleurs. Two strapping Polynesian men carried me to the shore, surrounded by several hundred Hiva Oa'ns je suis déposée sur une stelle adossée à une grosse pierre sur la plage which was engraved with my name. Magnifique hommage. Croûlant under the beautiful garlands of flowers and their evocative perfumes I am kissed and hugged by everyone. Renamed "Tahia" (princess who dances with the waves) I forget all the tiredness and difficulties of the previous days, letting myself be carried along by the warmth and friendship surrounding me. The sun has just risen, but we are shaded by the green mountains covered in lush vegetation. Je suis sur un petit nuage. I will never be able to thank Monsieur le Maire enough, and everyone of Hiva Oa who worked so hard together to make such a wonderful festival happen. Je pense bien à vous tous. I am returning to Paris very quickly, du soleil plein les yeux. I'll see you Thursday morning (31 March) at Roissy airport, flight "Air Thaiti Nui" TN22, terminal 2A at 8h25. Je vous embrasse très fort ... Maud 26 March dedicated to ... Mes amis de l'extraordinaire chantier Technologie Marine As always I timidly glance over my shoulder ... IT'S THERE! I CAN SEE IT!! I am overcome with emotion. There in front of me, within striking distance of my oars, behind a thin white mist, a barely visible feature takes shape. I am like a child on Chrismas eve, overcome with impatience before this blueish form that little by little distinguishes itself from the sky. The sun shines playfully on the ocean, colouring everything orange and red. It's like a new land is being born before my incredulous eyes, when a few hours ago only the infinite Pacific stretched out in front of me. My eyes feast on this miraculous island shrouded in pink. OCEOR, caressé par ces lumières rougit lui aussi. It's full moon this evening, like the day I finished my North Atlantic row. Je me laisse envoûter by the milky way which already seems to reflect the top of the coconuts and the roofs of the little houses that I imagine on the island. Hiva Oa rises gently from the sea. La Tapageuse, the Marine Nationale patrol boat, awaits me patiently, like a mother. I want to throw myself into their arms. It is 2:30 in the morning and a dazzling red flare burns in my right hand. J'ai la gorge nouée de bonheur. Bientôt le terre ferme. Bisous nocturnes ... Maud 25 March dedicated to ... Roland, Sylvie, Stéphane, Cyril et toute l’équipe de Studio 122/Euro2C "Toujours rien en vue!" ... It has become a regime, from one day to the next there is no sign of the coast, saperlipopette !? Yes I am surrounded by a multitude of birds, which should indicate land, but where is it? The heat is stifling, like being under a giant griller but unable to regulate the thermostat. I literally toast. I see some clouds on the horizon, perhaps the Marquesas are below them sheltering from the sun!? relentlessly I row. Pétula is out of sorts. Our arrival doesn't seem to excite her. I chat to her in vain about a beautiful shower,delicious fresh tomatoes, the smell of the brush and jars of Nutella, but it doesn't enthuse her. Depuis quelques jours elle regarde attentivement la carte. Je crois que c’est le Nord qui la tente. To find some coolness I suppose. Between you and me, we have seen pictures of bronze seals on a white sandy beach, but only in books?? A small 6 seater plane has just flown overhead, I think it's my family, they're growing impatient. If they only knew how I felt. Bisous grillés ... Maud 24 March dedicated to ... Christine Fauvel et tous mes amis de l'île de la Réunion "Survol de Yelling Delta" ... 2 metre troughs, 20 knot winds, a cross sea ... some truce! OCEOR grits his teeth, while I'm carefull not to fall overboard. A navy plane is scheduled to fly over me which is very good of them except that I want to wash myself thoroughly in the cockpit before they arrive, hey! Well I take the chance and now I am super clean once more. Big waves break, the sun blazes down, and I am slopping on plenty of sunscreen when, amongst the birds, I can make out a small dot which looks like a plane. I switch on the VHF, "Yelling Delta" calls me. We try to establish contact a few times, but not having a long range, they can't hear me. After an hour of futile attempts at last they fly over me victorious. I am all smiles but I'm not sure if they can see them. It seems that everyone is waiting for me on Hiva Oa ... Bisous impatients ... Maud 23 March dedicated to ... Julia Huvé "Trève" ... For lunch it's freeze dried couscous (better than nothing, hey!) and a little tête à tête with the ocean. We reach an uneasy truce. How many days and hours have I seen nothing to encourage me even with my excellent vision. At each break I scan the horizon expecting to see land rising out of the sea. But nothing, no sign of the Marquesas. I look at the chart. Civilization seems so close. I mark a small dot on the bottom of the famous island of Hiva Oa. I already hear the songs of Brel while dreaming of the colours of Gaugin. I think I may arrive on Saturday or Sunday if everything goes well. J’ai du mal à y croire. Je redouble de vigilance et de prudence. The inside of the boat is nearly dry. The only thing left is the salt that remains sticky and fishy. As always I use my spare time to finish cleaning up. I force myself not to think too much. Soon a glorious shower. More and more birds come to fish around OCEOR, to the delight of Pétula because they reveal where the schools of fish are. Bisous du point rouge presque arrivé ... Maud 22 March dedicated to ... Yann, Gipsy & Anya 
"Dans ma bulle" ... "Come here for songs and laughter, on the children's island it is always spring lalala lalala lalala..." The sun is up, Pétula, my little cock of the seas, has found her voice. Dans le cockpit elle fixe des yeux quelques moelleux nuages, édredons de l'aube qui, à l'horizon se maquillent d'une douce et tendre lumière rose. OCEOR only sees appertizing marshmallows there. One definitely would like some sugar on board. The weather is fine and hot, I put my stuff out to dry at last. During the day the sky clears completely and takes on such a pale colour it's almost white. It's like I'm in a greenhouse. I close my eyes. I imagine a path on the other side of the glass, and a little door that only OCEOR and I can pass through. I see myself timidly pushing it ajar. I already hear the hubbub of the Earth.... I gently close it again to catch my breath. My oars dip into the water rythmically. L'arrivée approche. Air Tahiti Nui has already dropped off my team in PAPEETE and yet to me it all seems so remote, so unreal. Je vous embrasse ... Maud 21 March dedicated to ... Jacques Tailleret "Sur le fil" ... My phone now only works one time in 10. Nothing appears on the screen, I get no response from the ON/OFF key and I can't tell if it's charging. The operating procedure with homebase is, if the phone dies, connect the second Argos beacon and proceed to the finish! The night is hard and airless, I stretch out on my bunk getting mouthfulls of water from my pillow and sleeping bag, I freeze. Large breakers repeatedly lift OCEOR and dump him more violently each time. I hurt all over. The fear of another capsize haunts me. It's impossible to dry anything till the ocean calms down. Je fais le gros dos. Besoin de bisous A demain j'espère, Maud 20 March dedicated to ... WALTER SIMONSON "Rappel à l’ordre" ... (panic attack)=(capsize with the hatch half open so I can breath) Since yesterday evening the ocean has redoubled it's fury, to show me nothing is gained and he alone is the master. Although the coast is now not very far away, the danger remains the same. I am cloistered in my little cage with one hand to steady me and the other ready to close the hatch if the worst happens. I'm half suffocating, but I know there's nothing else for it. I try to empty my head so that the hours pass more quickly. A migraine sneekily keeps me awake in spite of my exhaustion. In a cruel twist I hear a terrible howl and a huge breaker engulfs me and OCEOR. I tense my muscles and grab for the hatch, but the sea has already come in. I grip the handles, a cold fear runs through me, my head comes into contact with the bubble, my stomach's in my mouth, I am gasping for air, mon poids sert de balancier. Oceor turns head over heals like he's crushed by the wave. I shake all over, then everything stops. WE HAVE JUST CAPSIZED!!! My heart beats like a drum in my chest. I mustn't give in to panic, but invoke a state of Zen. I take a deep breath and force myself to swallow, there is a sharp pain in my side, a little voice in my ear cajoles me to raise my head towards the nose of my little red clown which is still hanging. Allez Maud, smile ! The only solution is to attack one problem at a time like a robot ... I count ... 1: a bucket to bail out 2: remove soaked clothes 3: ... etc etc My satellite phone got wet and it's not working A strange silence comes over me Two hours later sitting on my bunk with a mouthfull of seawater, soaked, zapped, I try to coax my phone back to life, cotton bud after cotton bud ... I clench my teeth ... I connect the battery, it's lifeless, I am tired, I press a key, beep... beep... a warm glows runs through me. A miracle! The connected to network sign appears. I try to call... Ca sonne timidement… Chris décroche… and finds out why the tears are running down my face. Ah les filles !! Bisous toujours, Maud
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------------ GMT --------- HOT -------------------- MAUD ---- 26 SATURDAY 00:00 ------- 14:00 FRIDAY 25 --------- 0nm ----------- 03:00 ------- 17:30 ------------------- 14.25nm ----------- 06:00 ------- 20:30 ------------------- 28.5nm ----------- 09:00 ------- 23:30 ------------------- sleep ----------- 12:00 ------- 02:30 SATURDAY 26 ------- sleep ----------- 15:00 ------- 05:30 ------------------- 42.75 ----------- 18:00 ------- 08:30 ------------------- FINISH    
Perú Negro Son de los Diablos Kapena Ho'onua - When I think About You 
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