To find our boat, we travelled nearly 20,000 km and visited over 35 boats in Belgium, in Holland, in Brittany, and in the South of France. In January of 2021, we found a Sun Fizz (Jeanneau) from 1984, on a cradle in Port Napoléon, near Marseille. It was love at first sight. After several round trips to the South and a survey, it was good. The bill of sale was signed, and we are now the owners of our first sailboat.
Circumnavigate the globe by sailboat to contribute to scientific research and the conservation of marine habitats: this is the challenge undertaken by Yegor and Marlenë, a Belgian couple in their 30s without any prior cruising experience.
The project, baptised “Sabali Expeditions,” is planned for a five-year period, allowing the couple to share of a number of reports relating their experiences and innovative initiatives in the field of marine conservation.
The project
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Preparation
YEGOR & MARLENE
The couple spent over a year preparing their sailboat before the big adventure. Their new travel companion will be rebaptised “Sabali,” meaning “patience” in Bambara, a language originating in Mali.
The programme
In June 2022, Sabali left the North Sea on the first leg of the cruise to West Africa. Throughout their voyage, Yegor and Marlenë will have the objective of contributing to scientific research on the dynamics of mangrove propagation in the intertropical zone through sampling and observation campaigns conducted in collaboration with local universities and associations.
The adventure will continue with a transatlantic crossing, heading to the Antilles, then Panama and the Galapagos.
Next, the crew will continue its journey across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, to finally return to Belgium, after five years at sea.
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This programme is dizzying, but we are convinced that by taking good care of Sabali, our crew will succeed, and we will relate to you, here, the marvellous adventures all along the way.
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