Departure date of the 2025 adventure:
September 21
In the wake of Bonita
A hundred years ago, in 1925, five young women set sail on an extraordinary 1,200-mile journey from Marseille to Athens aboard a boat named Bonita.
Now, a century later, we’re retracing their steps — and inviting you to come aboard
Our project
We are five passionate sailors, united by a love for the sea and a spirit of adventure.
Our goal? To follow in the wake of five pioneering women who dared to dream big.
Their names were Hermine de Saussure, Ella Maillart, Marthe Oulié, Mariel Jean-Bruhnes, and Yvonne de Saussure. All between 20 and 25 years old, they embarked on a two-month voyage across the Mediterranean in a weathered yawl named Bonita. With nothing but a compass and a few maps, they navigated from Marseille to Athens.
Now, 100 years later, we’re setting sail in their wake - to celebrate their incredible journey!
Follow our journey on the blog and be part of the adventure!
Our team at sea and on land
Carinne Bertola
Notre historienne
Danielle Rosset
dite Sunny
Our team at sea and on land
Valérie Bauwens
The project initiator
aka Flash
Esther Challandes-Stamm
aka Jumpy
Dyna Mlotkowski
Our skipper
Yvonne Monzo Ortega
aka Yvi
Travel Through Time With Us
This blog is more than a sailing log — it’s a journey through time.
At each stop along our route, we’ll share stories from our own voyage and the voices of the five trailblazing women who sailed the same waters in 1925.
How has the world changed in 100 years?
That’s the question we’ll leave open for you to explore.
We hope you enjoy reading and feel inspired to sail along with us — across the sea and through history.
Valérie, Carinne, Esther, Dyna, Yvonne & Danielle
A Note on the Stories and Photos
The 1925 texts and images are curated by Carinne Bertola, based on the logbooks of Ella Maillart, various works about her, and the memoir “Quand j’étais matelot. Cinq filles en Méditerranée” by Marthe Oulié, with commentary by Eric Vibart.
The 2025 stories and visuals — featured throughout our blog — are mostly suggested by Valérie Bauwens, drawing from the reflections and memories of our 2025 crew.
Our bibliography
To bring this project and blog to life, we’ve devoured countless books. Here are the three main ones: