Here we are! This is it, here we go! We’re setting sail and grabbing the paddles!
After spending five weeks in Tunisia looking for a sailboat to accompany me, after meeting several skippers who had given me their word they would be there to sail with me, and others who wanted all sorts of guarantees for the voyage, I have finally found someone I can really count on!
Yesterday, Georges Bally, owner of a 45-foot (13.70 m) Amel Maramu sailboat, and I have set sail from the Monastir marina heading for the cape of Mahdia. We have to go around the Kuriat islands to accommodate the draft of the yacht. We arrived about 7:30 p.m. We are greeted at the harbor by Mr. Habib Ben Zineb, who heads the Mahdia yacht club, and Tahar, his assistant.
This morning, the border police of Mahdia have given us our stamped passports back without asking anything. Generally they ask us to pay them a little money to get our documents back. This time, nothing! Georges even asks one of the policemen if he could find us bread as all the bakeries are still closed… He is rewarded with a tip… As usual.
After getting the kayak ready, we leave Mahdia and head for the small Punic port located near the marine cemetery (at the easternmost tip of the cape of Mahdia).
There we meet Mr. Habib Ben Zineb and members of the kayak club of Sousse including its chairman Mr. Faysal Bagdadi, the technical director, as well as the young athletes of the club and their coach. The kayakers will escort me on a mile and a half before returning to Mahdia. There is also a national guard officer who asks me my name and the names of club members. He does not prevent our departure, he simply wants to make sure the young men will not follow me all the way to Lampedusa.
After the usual words of encouragement, the heads of the two clubs thank me for my initiative. The first waves of Tunisians who landed en masse on Lampedusa were left to themselves in absolutely dreadful sanitary conditions. It is also what I intend to draw attention on by starting my voyage in Tunisia. It is here that everything begins.
It’s 9:10 am when we leave the Punic port. It is an old Carthaginian port with a depth ranging from 50 centimeters to one meter. Tahar rows in a small fishing boat as Georges Bally holds the camera.
As I move towards the open sea I realize the importance of the message I am carrying and wish to convey to the widest possible audience; there is no room for error. In a dream one doesn’t control the outcome of the story. Lacking control means one has to plan ahead, make sure things go as planned, anticipate every possible detail. But even then, uncertainties remain.
The voices of the my friends, of my relatives, of those who wish me well resound in my head: “Do you fully realize what you are doing? You’re are spending a lot of money. Did you think about the currents, the drift, the winds? Are you playing God? How long has it been since you last trained? You’re packing a GPS? A compass?” Yet they know very well I have spent the past four months glued to my computer or on the telephone preparing the project, doing public relation work, looking for a new escorting boat at the last minute after the serious accident my friend and first skipper Jean-Claude suffered in Sicily. Then, there was the defection of my camera-woman who had too much personal problems to follow me in Tunisia. I have to prove myself and keep on believing in myself. I know I can do this. I am thinking about the teachings of Native Americans: “There are three feelings that should never overwhelm you: doubt, fear and anger. Doubt brings fear and fear brings anger”.
“Alex! Shall we?”, the coach of the Sousse kayak club asks abruptly bringing me back to reality. “Yes! Let’s go guys!” And here we are paddling to Lampedusa on a 90° bearing. The sea is quiet and sleek. The gods are with me this morning!
At the first sea marker, we are joined by Georges Bally and his yacht. I take photos of the five young kayakers of the Sousse club, we exchange farewells. We hug. There is emotion in the air. They turn back… I feel lonely facing the 74.24 nautical miles that lie between me and Lampedusa. I start paddling. The sea is so quiet I am cruising at nearly four knots.
I must save my strength today. 11:15 am, I have already covered 6 miles (11.11 kms). I take a 15-minute break. I eat grapes and drink. I resume paddling until 1:30 p.m. Another well deserved break, 30 minutes this time. Nice! 6 more miles in two hours!
At 35°30’N et 11°15’E, I encounter my first turtle which took a dive immediately upon seeing me. Smart!
A little further, a national guard boat comes to meet us. Damn! Don’t tell me that they are going to bother us now. We are just a few miles from the international waters and the end of Tunisian jurisdiction.
Not that bad, they just want to know Georges’ name and the name of his boat — Flamb’au vent II — then promptly leave us alone.
After the break, I resume paddling for 2 hours and 20 minutes. This time I start feeling a little tired. My body aches, the wind has started blowing. It is right in my face. It is almost refreshing. In a sea kayak, having the wind blowing in your face or your back is not a problem. Side wind can soon get tiring. But whatever my advisors and friends may think, I have a rudder and it works… The hindering effects of the wind are thus substantially diminished. But, the waves are very real. I constantly have to compensate with my hips. It is exhausting! About 3:30 p.m. it crosses my mind I could step on board the sailboat to get some rest but it is out of the question! Not yet. I hear those who were telling me: “But why didn’t you install a small sail? It might have helped you?” I also hear the purists: “Ha-ha! A rudder? You like it easy?”
Let them all go to hell! I know what I have to do! I pray for a second wind… and here it comes! At 4:20 p.m., I step on the sailboat at 35°30’55”N 11°29’21”E. Earlier, as the yacht is drawing close to me, a second turtle comes to me as if to offer congratulations.
I got tired very fast on this first day! My arms and face are sunburnt in spite of the sun-block. It was too hot for long sleeves. Georges, my companion quickly interviews me. I really don’t feel like it but OK! Today, I have covered 18.84 nautical miles, that is 34.89 kilometers. I am 55.40 miles from Lampedusa.
Georges is really like a mother to me! I have picked the ideal skipper. After a good shower, we have a drink and two home cooked dishes: curry chicken and lamb leg with green beans. Yum yum!
I know, I know… All this is not very light! But we are on a French yacht and we have to do honor to the country! Meanwhile, as we cannot cast anchor (sea is too deep), we let ourselves drift north-west. It is 11:00 p.m. I am going to bed. Georges starts the engine to make for the overnight drifting.
Alexandre Georges for Ocean 71
