The Var navigator Sébastien Destremau returned to his home port of Toulon overnight from Sunday to Monday, aboard his sailboat Merci. But this time, the sailor was not alone. His daughter, an 18-year-old Franco-Australian, accompanied him. She traveled alongside her father the 12,000 miles to connect Perth to Toulon, when she had hardly ever set foot on a boat of this type. A crossing called “the Jade road”.
“Tell me dad, after you take the boat back to France? can i come with you?” The question is asked by Jade, while Sébastien Destremau is in Perth to celebrate the 18th birthday of his daughter and that of his twin brother, Marshall. Taken aback, the seasoned sailor asks him about his knowledge of the way to go and the commitment that this represents.”I have no idea, but I want to do it with you” replies the young girl, without blinking.
On December 13, father and daughter drop anchor. Off to South Africa for a technical overhaul. The first 25 days of “real sea” for Jade who says: “thethe first night, i was scared. I wondered why the boat was moving so much. I didn’t know the noises, but afterwards I was no longer afraid for myself. I was especially afraid for dad, because me, when there were dangerous situations, I didn’t go out. We had a big storm, but it was dad who took care of everything“.
“No choice”
Despite the spartan conditions aboard a sailboat, and the cohabitation in a cabin of five square meters, the duo continues on its way, peacefully. “We had two fights, but that’s nothing in two months. And then, on a boat, you have no choice, you can’t slam the door, that changes everything ” summarizes the browser.
After a technical stopover and a bit of relaxation for a week in South Africa, the father and daughter set sail again, heading for the Canary Islands, then the port of Toulon, which they found at the start of the week, at the first light of the day.
“JI offered him several times to stay ashore, that wouldn’t have been a problem. The whole family was already very proud of her. She sailed in the Indian Ocean! But she didn’t want“says, not without emotion, Sébastien Destremau. She wanted to finish what she had started.
A gift
And she succeeded. They succeeded. From this trip, Jade recognizes that it was not easy but that she learned many lessons from it. “I’m young and I use social media a lot. I finally realized that I could live without it, and that I was fine. And then, all I have in my normal life, like shower, toilet, food, are privileges ” summarizes the young adventurer.
Sharing more than two months with your child, like in a bubble where the moments and the time belong only to you. A gift from father and daughter. “We shared almost every sunset ” recounts Sébastien. “I really liked when we crossed the Equator and I bathed in the open sea. I thought that maybe I was in a place where no one had ever swum. And I measured the greatness of what I was doing“testifies Jade.
“But there are many other things. Sharing two months with her father in very difficult conditions, I know the value of this commitment. Jade did not know him before. Now she can testify. She can be very very proud of what she has done because it is not given to everyone. For me, the most important thing is that she threw herself into the water in something that is scary. This experience and this challenge that she has succeeded in is something that will carry her all her life. She will not be afraid to face any challenge that will get in her way.” summarizes the skipper. A very nice gift from a father to his daughter.
– Sebastien Destremau