Lady Blue

Dismasting in the Middle of the Pacific

With their children, Alexandre and Julie transformed their everyday life on land into an ocean adventure. Until the dismasting, in the middle of the Pacific… The story of a family learning to navigate with both the wind and the unexpected.

Lady Blue

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Published 05/06/2026

By Gilles Ruffet

Issue: 208

Published: aug. / sept. 2026

Discover this issue

Who: Alexandre, Julie, Rosalie, and Lucien
Where: Pacific Ocean
Multihull: Outremer 45 (Gérard Danson
generation)
Instagram: @aladventour

This family that traded the reassuring routine for the salty uncertainty of the open sea, that’s us, the Fortebos. With the money from the sale of our apartment in hand, we embarked on the search for the right multihull, one that could cross three oceans and one where all four of us would be comfortable, one in which everyone would have their own space, their own privacy, because we envisioned this family retreat for a period of at least three years. Our choice fell on an Outremer from the Danson generation: fast, seaworthy, and inspiring. Its name: Lady Blue – a true promise!
We left Nice in October 2024; The Mediterranean greeted us with a violent storm, as if to test our resolve. An immediate baptism of fire: the crew bonded in adversity, nothing could stop us. Above our bows, life began to flow differently. A long-distance voyage is never linear; breakdowns always occur unexpectedly. We’ve experienced several. Each time, it’s a challenge to manage—but also a new lesson. We could curse them; we’ve chosen to integrate them into the journey. Because behind the constraints often lie unforgettable encounters, slices of local life, moments we would never have experienced otherwise. Even the major setback we never imagined we’d encounter… 7 a.m., Lady Blue is now in the Eastern Pacific, a point on the chart between Panama and the Galapagos. We’re heading towards the Gambier Islands in Polynesia. After a windy night in a choppy sea, our sail configuration remained cautious – three reefs in the mainsail, two in the staysail. The trade winds were practically here, the worst seemed behind us… At the watch change, everything changed. Three successive waves crashed over Lady Blue and a shroud snapped. The mast wobbled, hesitated, then collapsed to port, taking the boom and sails with it. The impact was violent, but the crew displayed remarkable composure. The absolute priority was to secure the boat, freeing the mast before it pierced a hull or caused further damage to the structure. Every action counted. There we were, without a mast, without sails, but still standing!
With great difficulty, we managed to motor to the Galápagos Islands, 200 nautical miles to the northeast. It’s been almost six months since this unexpected stopover began—we’re waiting for a new mast shipped from France in a container. Six months, an eternity, but also a rich experience for a traveling family. Everyone here knows the story of «the boat without a mast»; we quickly became part of the local community and were invited to family Sundays. We volunteer on a farm, and the children are enrolled in the surf and diving clubs. Lady Blue is moored to a buoy, surrounded by sea lions, rays, sharks, turtles... We’re learning patience, resilience, and trust as our Spanish improves significantly. We philosophize about travel. Because ultimately, what is a trip around the world? A series of goals achieved? Or an ability to embrace the unexpected? The wind will return to fill Lady Blue’s sails once more. If we are writing these lines today, it is also because certain books, certain magazines, have fueled our daring. Multihulls World is certainly one of them. By reading the stories of others, we ended up writing our own. And the story continues…