Marcel Bardiaux recounts his long solo voyage aboard his cutter, Les 4 vents (The Four Winds), or at least the first part of his journey, the part that took him to Tahiti. The immense voyage, which began in Le Havre in February 1950, provides ample material for countless adventures. Knowing that the author designed and built his boat himself, that he rounded Cape Horn in the dead of winter, that he explored the Patagonian channels, and that he navigated treacherous passes with a frozen leg, it's easy to imagine the sheer appeal of such a story. Aux 4 vents de l'aventure (To the Four Winds of Adventure) is undoubtedly the most extraordinary account of solo sailing. Stripped of all embellishment, it possesses a stark and poignant truth.
Marcel Bardiaux. Driven by a fierce spirit of independence, this self-reliant sailor was born in 1910 in Clermont-Ferrand. In 1930, he circumnavigated Europe by canoe. Between 1931 and 1949, he was a kayaking champion. In the 1950s, he completed his first solo circumnavigation of the globe. In the 1960s, he built an unsinkable stainless steel ketch. And ever since, he has continued to sail and write, selling his books during his stopovers.