Two days ahead of schedule and after 5 days at anchor near Ceuta (Spanish city in the north of Morocco), the Hermione has finally reached the Port of Tangiers. Encountering extremely difficult conditions, she advanced her Moroccan stopover by 48 hours, seeking better shelter as soon as the weather conditions allowed. For two days, the crew will finally be able to rest and repair the damage to the vessel. For in Commander's memory, never before had the frigate encountered such harsh conditions.
" For never before has the Hermione encountered such conditions.. . From Cape Finisterre, we encountered a system of disturbances positioned at the latitude of Lisbon: even in winter, these lows are normally centred on Ireland or Scotland. When they began to reach us, we faced very unstable weather, with force 9 winds, squalls, thunderstorms and waves - sometimes breaking - up to nine metres high. It took strategy and anticipation to get through them." explains Commander Cariou.
In recent days the Hermione has averaged gales of force eight per 24 hours, with some gusts as high as force 10." This crossing allowed us to observe the exceptional nautical qualities of the frigate, which recorded heelings of up to forty degrees. With a crew of eighty people instead of the two hundred and fifty of yesteryear, it's a small feat to have made it this far." adds Commander Cariou.
For 10 days, the crew was on deck at all hours of the day and night, constantly manoeuvring the sails in a vessel subject to constant heeling and rolling. At the height of the storm, it was up to 5 to steer the three masts! " Getting dressed, moving around on deck or in the boat, and even simply carrying a plate of soup had become, in these conditions, delicate operations. At times, sleeping was almost impossible as the movements of the boat were so violent." says a gabier.
Danie, an Acadian gabière, from the recruitment program of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, OIF, partner of the trip, was impressed by the sea and the wind. " I was a little scared at first. Then I realised that the boat could take it all, there was nothing to worry about. My job was to put myself entirely at the service of the ship, without ever ceasing to take care of myself and others: the real danger was going overboard or getting hurt. We concentrated on working safely and efficiently in mutual aid and solidarity." she explains.
"When we got a little used to it, fear turned into adrenaline. I really enjoyed climbing the masts in the storm, with the rain falling horizontally. I enjoyed it because we were together. I could see the same excitement in the eyes of the people I was working with and the same application. I knew I could count on them: we were there for each other. The Initiative Free Together really took all its meaning" the young woman continued.
Programme for the stopover in Tangier, from 9 to 12 March 2018
A Tangier stopover under the sign of Libres Ensemble pour la Francophonie
Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco
The stopover in Tangier is an opportunity for La Francophonie, which is celebrating the two years of the "Libres Ensemble" movement, the common thread of the Hermione's 2018 trip, to offer a programme to the youth of Tangier: a competition for young developers, training workshops, an exhibition, humour and freedom of expression "Rire Ensemble".
The citizen movement "Libres Ensemble" was born in March 2016 in resistance to the waves of attacks and the tendency to withdraw into oneself in the world.
March 9 - 3 p.m :
- Welcome Ceremony of the frigate Hermione in Tangier in the presence of the Moroccan authorities at 3 p.m.
March 10th :
- Anniversary day of the Libres Ensemble initiative with training workshops for young people organized in partnership with the National Centre for Human Rights of Morocco, a workshop on citizen participation and media and information education by UNESCO (result of NET-MED Youth).
- Launch of the Innovathon de la Francophonie The Technopark is a competition for developers on projects related to raising public awareness of waste treatment at the Technopark in partnership with the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), Abdelmalek Essaadi University, the Commune of Tangier and Founder Family.
- Laughter Night, comedians show to celebrate the Libre Ensemble initiative with Mounia Magueri, Les inqualifiables, Youssef Ksyier, organized by the OIF in partnership with the Marrakech du Rire and the French Institute of Tangier.
March 11th :
- Day dedicated to middle and high school students with visits aboard the frigate
March 12th :
- 3 p.m.: Presentation of the Innovathon Awards at the Technopark,
- 17 h : departure of the Hermione.
