aide et action

After the Atlantic Ocean in 2000, the Mediterranean Sea in 2002 and the Pacific Ocean in 2003, Raphaela le Gouvello, a windsurfer from Bretagne (France), will, in 2006, take on a new adventure, the first of its kind: the crossing of the Indian Ocean alone on a sailboard.

Raphaela le Gouvello, has been a sponsor for Aide et Action for more than 10 years now, and she proposed to wear the colours of the association during her next journey across the Indian Ocean. Raphaela chose to commit herself with Aide et Action “because the association stands for the values of endurance, symbol of my wind odyssey. On behalf of a good quality education for all, Aide et Action develops, like me, a controlled approach in favour of a really sustainable development”.

Raphaela le Gouvello, a scientist from Bretagne (veterinary surgeon and Master of Sciences) is an ocean adventurer, a woman of experience caracterised by an atypical background. In 2000, she beacame the first woman to have windsurfed the Atlantic Ocean single-handed. Strong of this experience and always attracted by the sea world, she crossed the Mediterranean Sea in 2002.

Then, the following year, she completed a world wide achievement: the crossing of the Pacific Ocean from Lima to Tahiti. In 2006, the windsurfer will take on a new adventure, the first of its kind: the crossing of the Indian Ocean alone on a sailboard from Exmouth, on the west coast of Australia, to Reunion Island.

The departure from Exmouth will take place from April 5, 2006 in order to benefit from the best weather conditions. This journey of nearly 3,400 nautical miles will end in June 2006 after 70 to 75 days alone on the Indian Ocean.

Interview

AeA : Raphaela, you chose Aide et Action to wear the colours of the association during your next journey across the Indian Ocean: can you tell us why?

Raphaëla : I’ve been a sponsor for Aide et Action for more than 10 years now. This voyage is certainly my last one and I wanted to make you part and parcel of this adventure.Your long term action requires courage and endurance,

is highly comparable to what it takes me to prepare my voyage and then to complete the crossing itself.

As a citizen committed for the future of the planet and as a sponsor for Aide et Action, I just will enjoy wearing your colours on the Ocean.

AeA : Last year, the Indian Ocean was the place of a huge disaster.

Raphaëla : Yes, it was. It nearly jeopardized my project. I had been dreaming of this crossing for such a long time and I had come to see you at the beginning of December 2004. Then, the tsunami occurred and I wondered whether it was really worth it.At that time and during the following weeks, I was upset. The sea had killed. Can I still trust her?.Then, gradually, I realised that understand the sea together with natural and climatic phenomena, better prepare local people to handle disasters, better educate, are also part of a sustainable development and of the objectives of my voyage.Beyond the crossing, the whole thing is about developing a long term initiative, that’s what Aide et Action and myself are contemplating.In my own way, I “ surf hard” for the future of the planet.

AeA : How can you “surf hard “ for the future of the planet ?

Raphaëla : I take the open wind to find the energy and strenght it provides. I leave to better come back on shore and give evidence of ocean preservation and sustainable development, all of which concerns all of us.I navigate because I just feel the joy to do so. This crossing will be a symbolical return to the African continent, an essential step and an achievement at the same time.

- The first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean satisfied the need of self achievement. It was a personal challenge together with an initiatory quest.

- The second crossing of the Pacific Ocean, made me aware of the surrounding environment and of the necessity to concretely commit oneself.

- The third crossing of the Indian Ocean is embodied by a civic spirit, the will of acting for the others and fighting for a cause, that of sustainable development. This adventure is an achievement, the first of its kind in all aspects since it will be the hardest crossing in terms of navigation. It will also be a springboard towards concrete commitments as far as sustainable development is concerned. www.raphaela-legouvello.com