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| Folow the crossing... |
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Follow the crossing and the progression of Emmanuel and Maximilien BERQUE on their outrigger canoe Micromegas 3, with Argos bearings.
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[  Follow the crossing ]
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[ Trace ARGOS of MICROMEGAS 3 ]
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Sunday 27th of April - 20h48... Still guided only by observation of the sun, stars and the direction of the wind and swell, Emmanuel and Maximilien Berque on board their Micromegas 3 have reached Guadeloupe after 27 days of an incredibly precise crossing. |
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Where are they going to touch land? In which physical form is the crew? Are they aware of the distance already covered ?
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| Reports... |
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Saturday 26th of April report... At 15,00 hours TU this afternoon, < |
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The speed over the last 24 hours was 4,8 knots and if Maximilien and Emmanuel Berque maintain this pace they will conclude this incredible crossing in 25 to 35 hours. The latitude they are on, close to the 16th parallel, and the heading taken puts them almost directly in line with the island of Marie-Galante, situated in the south-east of Guadeloupe approximately 20 miles from the Point of Pitre. Actually they are only 150 miles from this island and it could very well be the landing point and first soil seen after 27 days of navigation.
Where are they going to land exactly after 27 days at sea? How is their physical condition? At the end of the weekend we will finally be able to listen to their answers.
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Keep it up with the questions on the Q and R section of the site and don’t forget the guest book as Maximilien and Emmanuel will soon be able to consult the site and see the interest and support from everybody over the last weeks.
What an accomplishment and what tenacity to have mounted, organised and realised such an extraordinary adventure in spite of the scepticism of certain << experts>> and other << specialists>> who thought it was impossible.
Hats off to Mr Emmanuel and Mr Maximilien Berque. Come back very soon to share your souvenirs with your faithful friends and fans that have followed you both since the 31st of March.
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Argos position 26th Avril 15:51 TU :
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Latitude : 15° 45’ |
| Longitude : 58° 30’ | |
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Distance traveled (last 25h) :
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Nautical miles : 120 |
| Average : 4.8 knots | |
| Heading : 271 | |
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Total distanced traveled :
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Nautical miles : 2605 |
| Average : 4.2 knots | |
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Distance left to travel :
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Nautical miles : 176 |
| Heading : 279 | |
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Estimated time left to travel :
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1.5 days |
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Estimated arrival date :
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Between 27th – 28th April 2003
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Friday 25th of April report... We can see the wind has strengthened for Maximilien and Emmanuel Berque as they have travelled 113 miles at 4,8 knots in the last 24 hours. A big improvement compared to the last few days. They are tonight at 21h 15 (TU), only 254 miles from the theoretical landing point they are aiming for. It is probable that they will arrive between the last hours of Sunday or the first hours of Monday the 28th of April. If it is so they will have completed the crossing in less than 4 weeks after leaving Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. The stronger winds over the last few hours must have boosted their moral after the previous days of calm. The map shows a luminous beacon at around 50 miles in front of them and it is possible they can already see the light. We do not know if they are aware of its existence and if it will be their first sign that land is near. If the twins see the beacon it will surely motivate them to search the horizon for their first sight of land, although they will have to be patient until Sunday before being able to get the first glimpse. Where will they land after these 4 weeks of navigation? In what physical condition will they be in? Only two more days to wait and we will be able to listen to their answers. Do not hesitate to ask Emmanuel and Maximilien questions on the << Q and R>> page of the site or put a mention in the guest book. At the end of this week Maximilien and Emmanuel Berque will have written another extraordinary page of their unusual marine adventures. |
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Thursday 24th of April report... There is still very little wind for Emmanuel and Maximilien Berque and Micromagas 3 is progressing slowly. Today they are 373 miles from their theoretical point of arrival. It seems the wind could gradually pick up before the end of the week so we esteem their arrival at the earliest during the day of Sunday the 27th. How are the twins coping with this period of weak winds that tend to annoy the best of navigators, especially after 4 weeks at sea? We can imagine them, eyes stuck on the horizon trying to get the first glimpse of land since they lost sight of Lanzarote 2400 miles behind them. |
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Wednesday 23th of April report... According to the information available to us there are very light winds where the twins are situated at the moment. The pace of Micromegas 3 is well under the fabulous performances that we are used to since Maximilien and Emmanuel commenced their journey. Over the last day only 96 miles have been covered at an average of 3,8 knots. At 8.49pm the 23rd of April they had 418 miles to go to finish the journey by reaching Guadeloupe. Their arrival for Saturday now seems improbable and it would be more reasonable to estimate their landing in Guadeloupe Sunday after 27 days of navigation. Let’s hope they get some favourable winds so they can finish this fantastic adventure in less than 4 weeks. |
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Tuesday 22th of April report... Perhaps there is a lack of wind as the twins have only covered 64 miles in the last 25 hours. On the other hand they have gained a few miles to the north and are approaching Guadeloupe’s latitude which of course is Maximilien’s and Emmanuel’s goal since the beginning of this incredible navigation. The conditions still seem favourable in spite of the 64 miles today. The estimated arrival for the 26th remains although they must up the pace to arrive before the weekend, if not we will have to calculate another date. Let’s wish them good wind for these last days of the journey of which there is still room for surprises. Exactly when and where will they land? |
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Monday 21th of April report... Everything seems to be going perfectly well for Maximilien and Emmanuel Berque. This fabulous crossing of the Atlantic is approaching it’s last 500 miles with excellent pace at 5,5 knots and 137 miles during the last day. An estimated arrival in 5 days and in site of land on Friday evening. Do they feel they have gone so fast and realize they are so close to their goal? Micromegas is slightly too south of the ideal route for Guadeloupe but there is still time to head a little north to reposition themselves. Lets wish them good wind for these last days of navigation that can still hold some last minute surprises. |
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Sunday 20th of April report... Yesterday the pace of Micromegas 33 slowed down a little and only covered 91 miles in exactly 24 hours. Maximilien and Emmanual are approaching their goal with only 757 miles to go. Their latitude now puts them in line with the northern point of Dominica. This gradual drift to the south we think is caused by the currents. At these latitudes the Atlantic’s current is mainly west and favourable for their crossing but seems to be taking them slightly south. Without navigation equipment they probably can not notice their slight drift south shown by the successive positions transmitted by the Argos beacon over the last few days. The comparison between their log and the transmitted positions will be interesting. We estimate the twins arrival in less than 7 days and they will be able to discern land around next Friday evening. |
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Friday 18th of April report... At 5. 15 this morning (TU) Micromegas 3 started the last 1000 miles of their journey. With a bearing of 256 over the last 24 hours the twins have gone further south just past the 16th parallel, putting them in a line between Guadeloupe and Dominique. We did not expect them to go so south this soon. They must veer towards the north a little over the next few days to aim for Guadeloupe. The islands are close to each other and the visibility clear enough for Emmanuel and Maximilien to see them and not have to continue on to Mexico which would be a shame after such great estimated navigation. Their speed has dropped over the last few hours but we can still hope for Microsmegas’s arrival as from Sunday the 27th of April meaning the extraordinary crossing sowed up in less than 4 weeks. |
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Thursday 17th of April report... Micromegas 3 is charging to the west approaching the 16th parallel with incredible consistency covering over 144 miles in 24 hours at an average of 6 knots. Being pushed by a moderate swell must be helping Maximilien and Emmanuel achieve such a performance. If the conditions remain as favourable, maintaining the same course will put them between Guadeloupe and Marie Galante within 10 days. Although the navigation has been so precise it is too early for predictions as there is still 1000 miles to go. Where do they picture themselves at the moment? How are they living each day alone in the middle of the ocean? They surely realise their pace but do the twins know how close they are? Maybe Maximilien and Emmanuel think they are much further away than they really are. It would be great to know what they are feeling and how life is aboard the tiny Micromegas 3 in the middle of the vast Atlantic ocean. Although we have precise positions on land from Micromegas’s Argos beacon we have no idea of what is happening on board. This contrast is one of the multiple passionate aspects of this tremendous adventure. |
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Wednesday 16th of April report... Over the last 24 hours the positions transmitted by the Argos beacon show Micromegas 3 a little further south and still maintaining a good pace. Emmanuel and Maximilien have kept an average heading of 257 at 5,3 knots, their progression is ideal. Guadeloupe is directly west at 1200 miles. They are 27 miles south of the 17th parallel and will cross the 40th west meridian line today. |
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Tuesday 15th of April report... Another great day for Micromegas 3 who is banking up the miles (122 in the last 24 hours) towards the west with astonishing consistency. Over the last few days their average heading is 270 which is direct west at 5 knots near the 17th parallel. The precision in latitude means Maximilien and Emmanuel have acceptable conditions to observe the nocturnal skies. At this rate Guadeloupe is only around 13 days away, that means for 27th or 28th of April. In less than 4 days they will gain the 2nd third of the journey leaving only 900 miles to conclude their fantastic challenge. |
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Monday 14th of April report... As you read these lines our friends Maximilien and Emmanuel Berque will have passed the half way point of their incredible crossing. After these first 2 weeks of navigation their journey is outstanding and their course ideal towards the French Caribbean. How will they negotiate the 2nd half of the crossing? Where will they land after their estimated navigation? Where do they estime they are? Are they conscious of the precision of their navigation? The theoretical average speed of 4,4 knots is excellent and leads us to hope for their arrival in less than 2 weeks. Their navigation to the south-west during the first 10 days took them near the 17th parallel from where they can observe The Fly constellation of stars (Musca). That allows them to judge their latitude. Since the middle of last week they have turned their heading more west at an average bearing of 260 which briskly pushes them towards Guadeloupe. The 121 miles travelled in the last 24 hours at an average of 5 knots is very encouraging and tends to let us think that the crew and boat are doing fine even though the conditions on Micromegas 3 are very precarious. |
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Saturday 12th of April report... With a bearing direct west the twins are headed straight for Guadeloupe. The last positions show they are staying close to the 18 parallel and have slowed down slightly over the last day. Maybe the wind has weakened or perhaps they have deliberately slowed down to make life on board << Micromegas 3 >> a little easier. Whatever the reason they have all the same covered 92 miles in the last 24 hours at an average of 4,4 knots, still a great performance. The half way mark is near and should be reached during Monday |
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Thursday 10th of April report... Their bearing at the moment is 240° as they approach the 17th parallel from which they are only 70 miles. All this is going exactly as planned and once again the precision of their navigation is astonishing. As from now the heading for Guadeloupe is almost direct west at 271°. The average speed for the last 24 hours is a fabulous 6.4 knots and the conditions on board Micromegas 3 must be very sportive and quite humid pushed by the brisk “alize” wind. |
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Wednesday 9th of April report... Still with only the sun, stars, swell and wind direction to guide them Emmanuel and Maximilien aboard their Micromegas 3 have once again traveled over 100 miles in the last 24 hours, have less than 2000 miles to go and must soon touch the prominent “Alizes” winds. |
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Tuesday 8th of April report... Average of 5.8 knots and more than 148 miles over the last 26 hours Micromegas is progressing extremely well towards Guadeloupe. The available information at the moment shows good ocean conditions and favorable winds. Over the last hours the twins have headed more west at an average of 227°. This tendency should confirm itself over the next few days. With such an amazing performance on such a small boat we can imagine that everything is going well for the boat and the crew. In a few hours they will reach their 1st symbolic goal of less than 2000 miles to go. |
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Tuesday 1st of April to Monday 7th of April report... Until the 6th of April the twins made the most of rather calm seas and light north-easterly winds to head south-west before bearing west for Guadeloupe. They averaged 5 knots and a bearing of 232°. Their navigation is surprisingly precise considering it is only based on estimations, observing sun,stars, swell and wind direction. The 7TH of April with an average of over 110 miles a day Maximilien and Emmanuel were confronted with stronger north-westerly winds and rougher seas. |
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Monday 31st of March report... The twins started their crossing on the 31st of March in fine form after a month of training on their boat in the area surrounding the island of Lanzarote . They were impatient to get underway but had to wait for the optimum moment concerning the moon so as to approach Guadaloupe during the new moon for easier observation of the stars. As mentioned above, they have no navigation instruments or maps and navigate only guided by their observation of the sun and stars, wind and swell direction. So in the afternoon of the 31st of March 2003 in calm conditions and slight but favorable winds Maximilien and Emmanuel BERQUE set off to carry out their adventure they have been developing and working on for 6 years. |
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| News... |
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Tuesday 15th of April... Thank you for all the comments in the site’s guestbook after the 8 pm television news reportage on TF1 France. TF 1 consecrated a substantial amount of time to the twins adventure and in doing so brought into our homes a piece of dream during these troubled times. Continue to leave your messages in the guestbook as they will be precious souvenirs for the twins when they arrive. |
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Wednesday 9th of April... Thank you Herve Pigeanne for sharing the departure photos of Micromegas 3 from port of Arrecife, Lanzarote Island. |
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[ Micromegas departure from Arrecife ]
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| Argos bearings... |
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| Date & time TU | Latitude | Longitude | Distance travelled |
Heading | Time | Speed | Distance left to travel |
Heading to reach |
| (dd/mm/yy hh:mm) | (dd,mm) | (dd,mm) | (n. miles) | (degrees) | (hours) | (knots) | (n. miles) | (degrees) |
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| 01/04/03 08:13 | 28,06 | 14,00 | 57 | 210 | 16,22 | 3,5 | 2717 | 265 |
| 02/04/03 08:00 | 26,47 | 15,44 | 121 | 233 | 23,79 | 5,1 | 2619 | 266 |
| 03/04/03 07:48 | 25,34 | 17,25 | 116 | 234 | 23,80 | 4,9 | 2523 | 266 |
| 04/04/03 07:35 | 24,35 | 19,08 | 110 | 240 | 23,79 | 4,6 | 2426 | 266 |
| 05/04/03 08:40 | 23,41 | 20,58 | 114 | 244 | 25,07 | 4,5 | 2323 | 266 |
| 06/04/03 08:18 | 22,40 | 22,18 | 96 | 233 | 23,63 | 4,0 | 2246 | 267 |
| 07/04/03 07:52 | 21,26 | 23,51 | 114 | 231 | 23,57 | 4,8 | 2157 | 268 |
| 08/04/03 07:30 | 20,09 | 25,33 | 123 | 233 | 23,65 | 5,2 | 2060 | 269 |
| 09/04/03 08:16 | 19,21 | 27,17 | 109 | 245 | 24,75 | 4,4 | 1961 | 270 |
| 10/04/03 08:19 | 18,10 | 29,20 | 136 | 240 | 24,05 | 5,7 | 1846 | 271 |
| 11/04/03 08:02 | 18,09 | 30,29 | 66 | 269 | 23,72 | 2,8 | 1780 | 271 |
| 12/04/03 07:40 | 17,49 | 32,13 | 101 | 259 | 23,64 | 4,3 | 1682 | 271 |
| 13/04/03 08:45 | 17,05 | 33,55 | 107 | 247 | 25,09 | 4,3 | 1585 | 272 |
| 14/04/03 08:21 | 16,53 | 36,10 | 135 | 265 | 23,60 | 5,5 | 1457 | 272 |
| 15/04/03 08:10 | 16,50 | 37,44 | 90 | 268 | 23,81 | 3,8 | 1367 | 272 |
| 16/04/03 08:29 | 16,33 | 39,53 | 125 | 262 | 24,32 | 5,1 | 1244 | 272 |
| 17/04/03 08:17 | 16,10 | 42,21 | 144 | 261 | 23,80 | 6,0 | 1103 | 273 |
| 18/04/03 08:37 | 15,48 | 44,17 | 114 | 259 | 23,80 | 4,7 | 993 | 274 |
| 19/04/03 08:01 | 15,48 | 46,19 | 117 | 270 | 23,40 | 5,0 | 876 | 274 |
| 20/04/03 09:34 | 15,38 | 48,14 | 111 | 265 | 25,54 | 4,4 | 766 | 274 |
| 21/04/03 09:10 | 15,42 | 50,13 | 115 | 272 | 23,61 | 4,9 | 652 | 274 |
| 22/04/03 08h27 | 15,54 | 51,26 | 71 | 279 | 23,27 | 3,1 | 581 | 273 |
| 23/04/03 08h04 | 15,50 | 53,05 | 95 | 268 | 23,62 | 4,0 | 486 | 274 |
| 24/04/03 07h36 | 15,41 | 54,19 | 72 | 263 | 23,54 | 3,0 | 415 | 275 |
| 25/04/03 08h55 | 15,37 | 55,57 | 94 | 268 | 25,32 | 3,7 | 322 | 277 |
| 26/04/03 08h30 | 15,48 | 58,00 | 119 | 275 | 23,59 | 5.0 | 203 | 277 |
| 27/04/03 08h07 | 15,57 | 59,60 | 116 | 274 | 23,61 | 4.9 | 87 | 279 |
| 27/04/03 20h48 | 16,18 | 61,04 | 65 | 288 | 12,69 | 5.1 | 26 | 252 |
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| Concept : Accord des Mondes | © 2005 Emmanuel & Maximilien BERQUE | |