Departing from Saint Martin, a family of sailors is setting course for the Gambier Islands aboard their catamaran. Between life as a crew of five, schooling at sea, and memories already taking shape, their first transpacific crossing promises to be a turning point in their adventure.
Between the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean and the San Blas archipelago in Panama, the catamaran Boudu moves steadily through a lively sea, driven by consistent winds under a still-friendly sky. On board, daily life finds its rhythm despite the rolling swell that shifts both bodies and balance.
Aboard this Nautitech 40 Open, there are five: two adults (Lise and Nicolas), two children (Shiloh, 12, and Olivia, 4), and Peanuts, the dog. A small floating community bound together by the journey, they departed yesterday from Grand Case Bay with the Pacific already on their minds.
Just minutes ago, a fish struck the line. After half an hour of fighting, it escaped. The frustration fades quickly — another one will come.
This passage is more than just another leg of the voyage. It marks their first transpacific crossing, the moment when a project truly becomes an adventure. Originally, the plan was a three-year circumnavigation returning to La Rochelle via South Africa. But Oceania will likely become the final chapter of the journey. For Lise, who once lived in French Polynesia, the destination carries a deeply personal meaning: returning by sea on her own boat and sharing the discovery with her family.
“I dream of seeing the emotion on my husband’s and daughters’ faces when they discover these islands,” she tells us. “This journey had become necessary for us, and every day we enjoy everything it brings.”
Maneuvers and Aperitifs
On board, the days follow their own rhythm. Mornings begin together around breakfast. Then comes school: the eldest follows remote classes through the CNED distance learning program, while the youngest negotiates — constantly. Meanwhile, the boat itself demands attention: a bit of cleaning, meal preparation, and the inevitable repairs and tinkering.
Stops along the way offer moments of freedom, with swims and walks ashore with Peanuts. And in the evening comes a ritual that has become essential: aperitif time, now requested by the children themselves — a joyful symbol of this unusual life.
Memories are already piling up. Like the watermaker failure that occurred on the second day of their Atlantic crossing. A delicate situation that was resolved thanks to the spectacular assistance of the world’s largest two-masted schooner, which supplied them with fresh water via a hose stretched between the two boats in rough seas. An hour and a half of intense maneuvering that will not soon be forgotten.
The next major milestone: the Gambier Islands, which they hope to reach between early and mid-May. An arrival that will mark far more than just another point on the chart.
And once ashore? Nothing complicated. Just a simple moment they are all looking forward to: letting Peanuts run freely again after a month on board.
Aboard Boudu, the journey itself has already become the destination. And Oceania is no longer a dream — it is simply the next chapter of the story.
