La Boudeuse is sailing for the planet
NOUVELOBS.COM | 20.10.2009 | 16: 17
Launched as part of the Grenelle de la Mer initiative, the Earth-Ocean mission tomorrow sends the three-masted La Boudeuse to sea for two years devoted to exploration and science. A way of defending the future of the planet by reviving the tradition of maritime and learned adventures of the past.
Built in Holland in 1916, this three-mast was bought in 2003 by Franceschi who transformed it into a boat dedicated to adventure and exploration.
Built in Holland in 1916, this three-mast was bought in 2003 by Franceschi who transformed it into a boat dedicated to adventure and exploration. (La Boudeuse)
It is in the wake of the frigate of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, no less, that Patrice Franceschi and his crew embark on La Boudeuse, claiming this "spirit of discovery" of which the navigator who spoke in the 18th century spoke was surrounded by scientists for his world tour. In the tradition of the great expeditions of the Enlightenment, Commander Franceschi was given an official mission letter by the ministry of Jean-Louis Borloo (1), who wanted to give substance to the Grenelle de la mer.
The Earth-Ocean mission will leave the French coast on October 21 for two years of travel, exploration and studies in South America and the Pacific. Biosphere studies, global warming, environmental protection, sustainable development, dialogue between cultures are the themes displayed. The scientific program of the mission is both broad and precise.
Amazon, Orinoco and Paraná
For the first part in South America, La Boudeuse will sail on the waters of the Amazon and the Orinoco, before going to the Paraná basin and the canals of Patagonia. The mission will focus on deforestation, the impact of rubber exploitation, water pollution by mercury from artisanal gold washers, the effects of tourism on Indian territories, traditional or extensive livestock farming, the advance of pioneer fronts on virgin lands, with uncontrolled urbanization, without forgetting to conduct the most exhaustive possible inventory of fauna and flora.
The 46-meter three-mast, carrying 25 to 30 people, will then pass Cape Horn and head for the Pacific Islands. “Endangered” islands, threatened in the light of a few generations by the rise in sea level. In addition to studying the phenomenon of rising sea levels in themselves, the crew of La Boudeuse s will be interested in ways to save or preserve these islands, their natural environment and their culture.
Epic breath
Researchers from different disciplines, from national scientific institutions, volunteered to spend 4 to 8 months on board the ship to conduct these studies. “There is already a lot of scientific work on these subjects, underlines Patrice Franceschi, but we want to do something else, to go to other places with a particular state of mind. There is an epic breath in missions like this. ”
The navigator-writer-adventurer claims to be in the spirit of the Age of Enlightenment, with "faith in man, science and progress". Franceschi defends a "humanist ecology", where man is at the center, a positive state of mind and not "anxiety-provoking" like the one which, according to him, dominates ecological discourse today. Do not deny the responsibility of Man for the evolution of the planet, nor do you demonize Man and make him only a culprit: thus could be summarized the position of the commander of La Boudeuse. Who obviously prefers the spirit of his schooner to that of Nicolas Hulot's Titanic - even if he doesn't quote it.
Raise awareness
"Reinjecting the spirit of the Age of Enlightenment" is therefore also part of the objectives of this Earth-Ocean mission, which will devote a great deal of time to communication with the general public. The production of films and reports is planned to meet the demand for "intense media activity" specified in the mission letter.
La Boudeuse must leave Fécamp port tomorrow at midday, heading for Guyana. It was in mid-December in Cayenne that the first scientists were to embark on the three-masted vessel to begin the mission's studies in January 2010.
Cécile Dumas
Sciences-et-avenir.com
20/10/09
(1) Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Regional Planning (MEEDDAT).
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