Xavier lives with his family in Reunion Island. A sportsman in love with my sea (as much as with the mountains), he wants to have his own cruising sailboat to sail around the island and those around. However, opportunities are rare in Reunion Island. So he decides to buy a Sun Rise 34 in mainland France and then take it by sea to the foot of his house. And to take advantage of this trip, he decides to take his family with him for a sabbatical year.
If the shortest route is through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, it is also the most dangerous because of the pirates that are rampant in the area. Passing through southern Africa is not easy given the weather conditions in the area of Good Hope. The trade wind route remains: Crossing the Atlantic, Panama Canal, crossing the Pacific and crossing the Indian Ocean... A beautiful route (more than half a world tour...), but strewn with many pitfalls. Especially when the time you give it is not stretchable. Xavier has just 13 months to complete the route. Then, he has to find his office in Reunion Island.
This (con)journey is told in a book: "The Rainbow Adventure" (named after the boat). And if families sailing in the tropics usually tell the story of the white sandy beaches under the coconut trees with a glass of rum in hand, Xavier and Sandrine, with their child Neel just 3 years old, describe a completely different atmosphere.
Lack of careful preparation, with a tight schedule, an absent autopilot... each stage becomes a race, not far from a galley. But fortunately, while it could have exploded the heavy containment reinforced spring torque.
This book is written at 3: Xavier in chief tells his experiences and his feelings. Sandrine on her side brings another vision of the events and even Neel intervenes with his childlike eyes. The book is totally chronological, like a logbook, but the story ends up being so incredible that it turns into an adventure story in which the characters become our heroes that we want to see them succeed in their journey home.
I won't tell you the end, but I won't hide the fact that I swallowed the Rainbow Adventure in one weekend, sharing with Xavier and Sandrine their adventures, living to the rhythm of breakdowns and setbacks, imagining the encounters
This book is really fresh and it shows another side of the great cruise that can sometimes take a different turn than a beautiful and successful holiday. A book that I recommend to all lovers of long distance cruises who imagine one day taking the departure. It will give you a few keys to prevent the trip from turning into an adventure.
The Rainbow Adventure
- By Xavier, Sandrine and Neel Rossignol
- 14,7 x 21 cm
- 404 pages
- 12.99 euros (paper version)
- 4.49 euros (in eBook version)
