April 2009, Mathieu Bonnier, arriving at Cayenne, French Guiana, after crossing the Atlantic from St. Louis, Senegal. He came second in the Bouvet Rames Guyane Transatlantic Rowing Race, 15 minutes after the winner Patrick Hoyau (click to enlarge)
courtesy Mathieu Bonnier, http://www.mathieubonnier.comThe Northwest Passage row boat is designed by Sam Manuard and built at AMCO in Trinidad (click)
Image by Sam Manuard, courtesy Mathieu Bonnier, www.mathieubonnier.comLINKS
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Heads up: Mathieu Bonnier to row the Northwest Passage
Posted: Mar 18, 2010 10:45 am EDT
French rower Mathieu Bonnier plans to transit the Northwest Passage in a rowboat. He will start from Greenland in the summer of 2010 and plan to complete the row in the summer of 2011 when he reaches Alaska. During the Arctic winter months he will take a break and wait for daylight again.
French skipper Maurice Uguen sent over the Ocean news from France to ExplorersWeb. He has a wealth of knowledge about the northern seas and in particular the Northwest Passage where he is assisting expeditions.
Mathieu Bonnier
One of the people who gets advice from Maurice is Mathieu Bonnier who is currently preparing to row the Northwest Passage on a rowboat.
Mathieu will start in July 2010 from Qaanaaq, Thule/Greenland and end in Nome, Alaska in the summer of 2011, which is according to Mathieu a 6500 km row.
He is busy building his boat at the moment and great care is taken of the technology that has to withstand the sub-zero temperatures.
Have a look on Mathieu’s website in the links section for videos about the building of the boat.
Philippe Poupon
French skipper Philippe Poupon, also known as "Philou", has sailed the Northwest Passage with his wife and four daughters last year. He and his wife, Géraldine Danon, has written a book and made four documentaries for French television about the voyage.
The book “Une Fleur dans les glaces” (translated as “A Flower in the ice) will be available from March 18. They also have a photo exhibition ongoing in Paris till May 11.
The documentaries will be screened on the French Travel Channel March 31 and April 7. Have a look at the trailer on his website.
Maurice said Philou is currently preparing for a voyage to Tahiti and the Polynesian islands.
Mathieu Bonnier is a veterinary surgeon who has skied across Alaska in the winter of 2006 with his dog Ticco. He participated in the 2007 World Rowing Championships and in 2009 rowed the Bouvet Rames Guyane Transatlantic Rowing Race.Mathieu rowed the 4700 solo and came second after being 43 days at the oars.
Northwest Passage 2009: Onboard the 2 masts, 20 meters long French aluminum sailing boat, ‘Fleur Australe’, are famous French sailor, Philippe Poupon, the owner (born 1954), his wife, actress and filmmaker Géraldine Danon, ansd their four children Nina (13), Loup (9), Laura (2 ½) and Marion (1) - and their dog Beti.
The family departed from La Rochelle, France, on 11 February 2009. Their route took them to Lisbon in Portugal, Mauritania (West Africa), then west across the Atlantic to the West Indies and north to New York from where they arrived in Greenland in July. On 28 July ‘Fleur Australe’ departed from Greenland to cross the Northwest Passage from east to west. 'Fleur Australe' arrived at point Barrow at 11h15, Thursday 26 August 2009.
Skipper Philippe Poupon, also known as "Philou", has among numerous achievements won yacht races across the oceans, particularly single-handed, and has sailed around the world several times.
Maurice Uguen is preparing his own voyage in 2012 – ‘Mission Hatteras’: from Korea to France through the Northwest Passage.
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