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Preparatory Adventures
Horizons of adventure
Before undertaking her solo crossing, Mylène prepares for the extraordinary and completes several preparatory expeditions. A first rowing journey between Morocco and Barbados allows her to meet the ocean. She then sets out aboard her own boat and travels down the St. Lawrence River to the Magdalen Islands. Finally, she is invited to join a sailing crew from Noirmoutier, France, and sails to Matane via Greenland. All of these adventures enable her to gain invaluable experience and prepare for what lies ahead.
Du Maroc à la Barbade (2010)
Meeting the Atlantic
Aware of her need to gain experience in order to achieve her dream of crossing the Atlantic solo, Mylène decides to complete a first crossing as part of a team. After conducting research online, she joins five men from Ireland and England whose goal is to cross the South Atlantic.
Mylène leaves Montréal for Morocco on December 25, 2010. She meets her crewmates in Agadir and immediately understands that being francophone is an asset. She feels useful and helps the team navigate the many administrative steps. Mylène is put in her place on several occasions; gender inequality is evident, yet team spirit prevails. The Atlantic awaits, but the crew experiences two false starts due to extreme weather conditions. The crossing lasts 58 days, from January 12 to March 10, 2010.
Departure from Agadir
The first days of rowing are demanding. Life on board is far from restful: rowing, resting, taking care of the boat and one another, eating, and communicating with land. Mylène, the sole ambassador of her people and the only woman on board, discovers the meaning of brotherhood and freedom. The camaraderie of her crewmates helps her move forward and overcome her fear of the water during swims. Mylène becomes acutely aware of the scale of marine pollution; already sensitive to environmental issues, she is all the more outraged. In the middle of the ocean, she finds her place and realizes just how much she is in her element.
Itinerary
From Montréal to the Magdalen Islands (2011)
Majestic St. Lawrence
In the winter of 2011, while training as an ambassador of the St. Lawrence River for the David Suzuki Foundation, Mylène decides to take on another challenge: descending the St. Lawrence from Montréal to the Magdalen Islands. This 76-day solo expedition allows her to train further over a long distance and to row approximately 1,400 km on the turbulent waters of the St. Lawrence River.
During this adventure, which may seem minor, she becomes familiar with the boat that will later take her to Europe, decides to leave her job to devote herself fully to her dream, and experiences extreme solitude for the first time. Most importantly, it is on this journey that she strengthens her relationship with the man who will become an indispensable mentor to her: Mr. Hermel Lavoie.
Encounter with solitude
Mylène leaves Gaspésie and finds herself alone in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for nine days. She focuses on routine actions such as setting and retrieving the sea anchor, communicating, rowing and rowing again, calculating her drift, reading the waves more effectively, and above all developing an ability to anticipate events. She gains confidence and feels perfectly in harmony with herself.
Itinerary
From Noirmoutier to Matane (2012)
A baptism in the North Atlantic
In response to a friend’s proposal, Mylène is invited to join a family adventure and take part in an Atlantic crossing aboard a sailboat as a crew member. The experience allows her to refine her skills in satellite phone communications and to test her knowledge of meteorology and navigation.
The departure takes place from the island of Noirmoutier, France. Mylène boards the Namasté, a small 34-foot sailboat, which sails from Noirmoutier to Greenland before heading southwest toward Canada, Labrador, and Newfoundland.
The crossing teaches Mylène how to live with time and with solitude.
Itinerary
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