BIOGRAPHY
November 8, 1952: Birth in a small village in the South of the Aisne: Bézu saint Germain
Summer 1956: Successful debut in swimming
Summer 1965: Beginning of a passion for sailing
1971: Diplomas of swimming teacher and sailing teachers. Crossing of the « Channel » alone without assistance
1973: Military service in the navy. Swimming crossing between Le Conquet to Ouessant with fin alone and without assistance
1975: First Atlantic crossing, sailing as a skipper.
1976: Purchase of "Ras le bol", a sailboat of 12 m "dream of Antilles". Transformation and redevelopment. 1500 hours of snorkeling and underwater hunting
1978: Design and construction of Salamandre aluminum sloop (40 feet). 1st trans-oceanic regatta: the "Route du Rhum". (*)
1980: Design and construction of the proa Funambule. Beginning of piloting gliders.
1981: New-York Brest with the proa "Metabo Oceans" (*)
1982: La Rochelle - New Orleans with the proa "Lestra Sport" (*)
- Death of my father
- Construction of the proa "Rosières"
- The articulated Proa Rosières folds eighteen minutes after the departure of the "Route du Rhum". Insurance destroys it during towing!
1983: Conveyor of a large ketch between Balearic Islands and Los Angeles
1984-1985: Building of the proa "Montpellier-Languedoc-Roussillon"
Aircraft and ULM pilot certificates
1986: Broken mast of "Montpellier-Languedoc-Roussillon" and cessation of the operation
1987: Creation of a ULM pilot school in Millau
1988: Organization of a ULM hydro rallye on the lakes of Aveyron
Organization of an ultra light air show in Millau
Deposit of a patent about seaplane float. Realization of the first floats intended specifically for trikes microlights!
1989: 2nd edition of the "Translacs", hydro ULM rallye on the lakes of Aveyron and Tarn!
1990: Preparation of "La Route de Mermoz" in ULM (Nantes - Récife in ultralight)
- Training in voluntary insomnia with the service of Pr Arbus (Rangueil hospital Toulouse)
- Design and construction of 3 microlights for Atlantic crossing
November December 1991: Nantes to Recife by ULM (first crossing of the equatorial Atlantic in ultralight)
1992-1993: Preparation of the Atlantic crossing for swimming and drifting
Deposit of several patents (fins, mask, wet suit)
Studies, design and construction of materials intended for the crossing.
1994-1995: "OceaNantes" or the Cape Verde islands to Barbados swimmig and drifting
1996-1997: Preparation of "Mission Oxygène" (submarine drift in the Indian Ocean)
1998: Realization of "Mission Oxygène". Ocean Observer sank after 13 days of drift ! I survived !
1999-2002: Construction of the catamaran Izamma
2000: Creation of the event the "Merveilleux fous navigants" in Saint-Raphaël (ecological gear)
Continuation of the catamaran construction
2002-2006: Cruises in the Caribbean with the catamaran Itzamma
2006: Start of construction of the Dagda monohull
November 2009: patenting an aeration gear for pleasure sailboats (Dorcap)
May 2010: Skipper for a convoy of a catamaran from Saint Martin to Tahiti
August 2012: Launching of Dagda 65 feet monohull
August 2012 - August 2015: Navigations in the Caribbean and the Pacific (French Polynesia) with Dagda!
11 August 2015: Dagda shipwreck deemed insubmersible after night shock with an OFNI in the South Pacific
August 2016: Back in France and creation of a micro consulting company!
(*) Sailing palmares:
1978 - Rte du Rhum: second in class less than 40 feet, 9th in scratch,
1981 - multihull trophy: 1st to scratch
- best time of the tour of Guadeloupe
- world sailing open speed on a base to (27.7 knots). Time hold during 7 years
- 1st in class New york Brest and second in scratch
- Smallest boat and third boat to beat Charlie Barr's time on the Atlantic crossing!
1982 - La Rochelle New Orleans: 1st in class and 3rd in scratch
(**) 430 000 nautical miles sailed / 11 000 flight hours on different types of aircraft (light aircraft, gliders, microlight, paragliding, deltas), 150 parachute jumps, about 10 000 hours spent on diving or in apnea ...