My name is Pancho, at least in this part of the world. In Latin America, Pancho is the diminutive of François. Having had the chance to learn Spanish at school but above all the chance to have kept it, I love meeting people, and the people here, from Panama to Mexico via Nicaragua, are of immense kindness and I take advantage of these few words to pay tribute to them. I spent part of my childhood in Gabon, on the Atlantic coast of Africa, directly on the equator. This is undoubtedly where my taste for travel germinated, but above all thanks to my parents who always instilled in us the importance of discovering other horizons. Their passport is now more loaded than mine but I haven’t said my last word! I obtained my engineering degree in Nancy, France, then did my military service in Lyon before moving to Canada at the age of 24 and starting my family there. My family is the other members of the crew, my partner Marjolaine and our two children Victor and Paul as well as our Labrador Chihiro. In terms of sailing, I had no experience before starting this project two years ago other than a few sailing courses in Bretagne during my childhood. We therefore decided to follow a few days of training on the St. Lawrence River before embarking on our adventure. We have now been living full time on the boat for a year and have covered over 3000 NM, there is not a day when I don’t learn something new.
“Fruere, quae laudas, canis ; regnare nolo, liber ut non sim mihi” – Phèdre
I always wanted to do something unusual that could allow me to say at a certain point of time, “I did it”. DoTheThing is the adventure of my life! Or maybe just the start of it. Since I was young, I knew what I would do in a near future, and I am pleased for that. I got the career I dreamed of as an aerospace engineer, and maybe beyond what I expected. Got a nice house in a perfect neighborhood. But time with family was flying and I wanted to offer more to my kids. Moreover, I wanted to say that I know my kids, how they think, what their dreams are. I can say today after more than a year of sailing, and being 24/7 together, that the person that I am surprisingly more knowledgeable of, are not only my kids and partner, but myself. I am so grateful for that and there is not a day since the start of our journey that I regret this change of lifestyle. I am an adventurer, I enjoy pushing further the limits, and accomplish things that are considered for a lot of people outside of the box. The way I was raised gave me the self-confidence to do something that wasn’t part of my plans… pushing the limits out of the comfort zone that I think a lot of people are prisoners of. This is the legacy I want to pass on to my children. Open your mind to other cultures, go see things by yourself to form your own opinion and be master of your future. That is the purpose of DoTheThing.
Be you, live now and enjoy!
Hello, my name is Victor. I am 13 and it is now over a year that I live on a sailboat with my family. The rhythm of life is way different than on land and I feel like I have a lot more time. A good part of my time is spent on online schooling but also on discovering new places all over the Pacific Coast. I like swimming, fishing, playing video games but above all cooking, I think the solar oven is one of the best inventions! I speak English, Spanish, French and am now learning German. I love when we anchor in the bays, don’t get me wrong, but I definitely prefer the marinas, Puerto Escondido in Baja California and Papagayo in Costa Rica are my top two so far. I can definitely see myself keep going on that adventure for several years.
My name is Paul and I am 9 years old. I am starting my fourth grade online and I am very proud of my progress in English which is my third language along with French and Spanish. I love swimming so I had my private salt infinity pool installed on the back of the boat. I also love board games and I spend a lot of time everyday playing with my family. My favorite TV series is Ninjago, my favorite food on board is grilled cheese, and my favorite video game is Clash of Clans.
I really like my life on the boat!
My name is Chihiro, you know that little girl in the manga Spirited Away who was transposed in the Spirit Realm. I am still wondering if I will wake-up anytime soon in my canadian backcountry where I was born 5 years ago… Well I am exagerating a little bit, I can handle the brutal hot temperature in the tropics, the limited space on the boat and the rough seas as long as I am with my two brothers. My best friend onboard is the dinghy, it is the only way to get back to the beach when we are at the anchor and trust me, I love the beach! On the boat I am in charge of the security, I take it very seriously, any bird, fish or buoy is immediately signaled by my barking and tail wagging.