Maud: "You just have to believe in it"
Feb 14, 2005 19: 10 EST
In the middle of the Pacific ocean, Maud is waxing poetic about distant stars and vegetable soup. Here's her latest report:
Soup and stars
“In the evening, while sitting in the opening of my hatch, I have a cup of (called vegetable) soup in my hands (really delicious I have to admit), the eyes towards the sky and I look to the stars appearing one after one as if they were dressing the night, appreciated by the moon, which hates being alone.”
Wishing in a sleepy universe
"Even being at light years from me, I have the impression, here in the middle of the ocean, that they are near. The night won’t be so dark; I’m happy.
I leave my paddles inside, fixed by a little rope. Pétula makes a little cabin in the cockpit.
I have a look at the map: North, North, North, we still have a north course. What should I do? I pray the divinity of the sea and the wind that the swell finally changes it’s direction.
Océor whispers me some nice words in my ears, but I can’t stop thinking to all these km done in the wrong direction which I will have to catch up again with my arms.
In the night, at 1AM, I open my eyes and see a falling star: Hurry up, a wish!
Hopefully the Big Universe doesn’t sleep...
You just have to believe in it."
French rower Maud Fontenoy set out from St. Pierre et Miquelon, (French) Canada on June 13, 2003 in an attempt to become the first woman to row across the Atlantic West to East. 117 days and an arduous journey later, she reached that goal on October 9th, 2003.
She had been drinking sea water, fought off sharks, and tumbled in 30 feet waves. In the final weeks she was caught up in endless circles in the North Atlantic. Cargo ships brushed pass her like giant, frightening ghosts in the night.
Injured and badly beaten she pushed hard towards east, but the strong wind and the waves took her south without mercy. She arrived at the rocky coast in agitated seas and darkness, where not even the tow ship would go out to get her. But she never gave up and she stole the heart of hard core explorers for her fighting spirit, and her romantic messages in the midst of brutal storms.
This time, Maud plans to row solo from Peru to French Polynesia, mid-Pacific to follow the route of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition. She left from Callao January 12, 2005 at 17h40 (22h40 GMT).
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