Kookaburra

The Big Departure for a Trip Around the World!

Pierre and Sylvie dreamed of it, and now they’ve done it! After more than a year of preparing their Venezia 42 and a few setbacks, they set sail, determined to complete their trip around the world.

Kookaburra

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Published 26/09/2025

By Gilles Ruffet

Issue: 204

Published: nov. / dec. 2025

Discover this issue

Who: Pierre & Sylvie
Where: Bay of Biscay
Multihull: Venezia 42
Blog : www.polarsteps.com/PierreGry/ 11465680-kookaburra-met-les-voiles

Kookaburra is waiting patiently at her anchorage off Andernos-les-Bains, well protected in the Bassin d’Arcachon in Southwest France. Departure is imminent. We announced to our loved ones that we’d be casting off on the morning of the 18th or 19th, shortly before high tide, so we could cross the dreaded Arcachon passes at high tide. We had to see what the wind had in store for us, as that would determine the start time. On July 14, while the towns bordering the Bay compete with their Bastille Day fireworks displays, we already decided to postpone D-Day due to a gale forecast for the 21st. So we settled on the 23rd... A week later - thanks, weather bureau! The gale appeared, but it should calm down quickly. We remained anchored because the swell was still strong, preventing us from getting through the passes. Our departure was set for Wednesday 23rd; we reached the port of Bétey, where we stopped alongside the pontoon between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. to load provisions for 15 days of sailing – we were planning for the long haul! In strong winds and cloudy skies, we finally cast off. Thank you to all our family and friends for your warm and joyful presence. What a thrill! Thank you to those who couldn’t be here for their many equally warm messages. Thank you to Bruno and Co. for saving our fruit and vegetables, waiting on the quay, from being taken away by the police! We will miss you, but here we are, the adventure begins!
We didn’t go very far on that first day, as we waited for the right moment, anchored off Pilat, to leave the passes the next day at 5 p.m. (always this constraint of high tide... but also during daylight!). A little ray of sunshine brightened up the evening, some of which was devoted to last-minute tidying up.
At the end of the afternoon on the 24th, the Dune du Pilat, the highest sand dune in Europe, finally disappeared behind us over our port quarter: we were now in the Bay of Biscay! The first night was very rough; we sailed close-hauled with a head sea that got the better of both our stomachs. The next day, the sea was calmer and the wind more favorable; since leaving the Bassin, we were making good progress under sail on a direct course. We were slowly getting used to life at sea: mashed potatoes and ham for lunch. No boats in sight, and above all, no killer whales! On the 27th, we approached Cape Finisterre - leaving the Bay of Biscay meant dodging the huge cargo ships and tankers concentrated on a sort of highway. We caught a good wind that would push us all the way to Madeira. The engines were finally turned off, and things were moving along nicely. We are happy to have left the territory of the orcas behind us...