Monique, a hen of the world
The adventure began two years ago now, when Guirec departed from French Brittany aboard the Yvinec , an 11.8-meter sailboat named after the island that saw him grow up, they explain on the BBC. The Canary Islands were his last stopover before launching to cross the Atlantic Ocean alone. There he met Monique.
fearless as few
Guirec was looking for a pet to accompany him on his journey and, although he had not initially thought of a chicken, he could not resist Monique's charms. "Choosing a chicken was ideal. It doesn't need much care and I can eat eggs in the sea. People told me that the hen would be very stressed and would not be able to lay eggs in the sea, but there were no problems," he told the English BBC. In fact, the hen laid eggs from her first night on board and reached 25 in the 28 days that his Atlantic crossing lasted, explains Guirec on his website Normally, the hen usually lays about six eggs a week , even in cold climates and extreme conditions, like spending three months without sun in Greenland.
Who said stress?
"At first I was very worried. When there were huge waves I was afraid that she would fall overboard. But she always managed to stay on her feet. She is a very brave chicken." So much so that Monique roams at ease with her on the deck of the sailboat and Guirec only cares about taking her to the cabin on stormy days.
Monique roams her wide on the deck
"She follows Me around and doesn't make any trouble. All I have to do is yell 'Monique!' and she comes and sits on me and keeps me company. She is amazing. Although I won't lie, she gets on my nerves sometimes," Guirec tells the BBC.
The queen of improvisation
After touring the Atlantic in May 2014 , the couple stayed a few months on the island of Saint Barthélemy, in the French Antilles . Guirec dedicated himself to working to raise the necessary money with which to prepare his ship for his next adventure: reaching Greenland and the Arctic Ocean. Monique, meanwhile, chose to start surfing, swimming and other water sports.
Monique starts swimming
After months of preparations, on June 29, 2015, they weighed anchor towards Greenland, where they arrived on August 23 of that same year and later l dare to spend months in the solitude of his boat, in the icy waters of some fjord , overcoming the challenge of coming face to face with nature. They are currently in western Greenland.
Don't let the cold spoil our day
"We're still not sure where we'll go next," says Guirec. "We haven't talked about it yet, but we will soon," he says, referring to his communication with the chicken. "Monique and I talk a lot" . "She was only four or five months old and had never left the Canary Islands. I didn't speak Spanish and she didn't speak French, but we understood each other," she jokes.
Communication is essential
Monique enjoying her moments of glory
Of the importance of making friends
the odd couple