Captain Aline Dargie

Gorgeous science in the atoll of Fakarava

Scientists from Kahi Kai, Aldine Aimel and Eric Rottinger, visited our home in August 2016 in Fakarava, to make a collaboration with many local people, sharing knowledge, and collecting live specimens to photograph in the ocean, lagoon, and aboard the Vaa Motu sailing canoe. Kahi Kai creates stunning photographs of tiny marine animals, magnifying and sharing their often overlooked unique personalities and living textures. As Aldine says, “People enjoy our images, they want to look at them and understand… and what they can understand they can learn to protect” What a beautiful vision for this successful scientific outreach project!

Visit Kahi Kai’s online community to enjoy their images

Visit Vaa Motu on Facebook to enjoy more stories of sailing canoe adventures

Visit jugirardot.com to enjoy more of Julien Girardot’s photography in French Polynesia

green winter garden
mont saint michel
normandy
france

fresh oysters on a park bench

french style green roof

here, the earth is alive and wet

bonjour.

mont saint michels towering shadow

where the monks ate in medieval times

stained glass window
sparkling crystal necklace
jewel tones illuminated

little houses by the seaside

intricate detail everywhere
we explore the textures and forms
with our hands and eyes

Images © jugirardot.com and alinedargie.com

journal entry from 4-21-2015

crossing pacific on SV Naoma

be independent

learn new ways all the time

challenge habits and comfort

own and buy fewer things

share knowledge with others

practice teaching and giving all that I know and have

actively integrate passions with life

live my dream with no commute to fun

spend more time with close family

save more than I spend

travel light

eat healthy and natural

move my body in a creative way every day

slow down and enjoy the sail

live poetically and write about it

do not schedule too much

leave room to breathe deep

be aware of and limit the chemicals I put in my body

all natural woman here

make create invent something new everyday

April 26 2015

0930 UTC

7 01.8 N

122 06.7 W

doldrums

convergence zone

ITCZ

its all the same

engine on

low RPMs around 800 for fuel economy

motor sailing with 110 genoa

tinkering with sheet trim

balancing shape

do not desire drag from over hardening

we wish to harness enough wind

to boost SOG 1 kn

up to the high 5s

dreary cumulus smother shining half moon

hazy windows to heavens float by

twinkles of outer space flirt in and out of perspective

cloud to cloud lightning fire

crooked sparks spontaneously illuminate dark masses

no thunder heard

calmly confused 1’ mostly NE seas

we head dead south

7 degrees to go

longing for those idyllic SE trades

to blow us happily ever after to the Marquesas

surfing downwind

swell carries us down

boosts our speed

cradles and rocks us along

chasing our stern

yellowtail drafting our wake

playing in kicked up ocean dust

weaving over and under our wake

unpredictable patterns to and fro

bio luminescence

sparkling underwater

agitated waters glow

powerful strokes electrified

paddling into light

on a new moon night

yummy times

on SV Naoma, twoafloat.com

isla socorro (in the background of the picture above) // early april // 2015

50’+ visibility warm waters

straight down to the sculpted sand bottom

rainbow sprinkled with rocks and fish