As the famous french song claims: "C’était un fameux 2-mâts fin comme un oiseau, hissez haut, Va de Bon Cœur ! 16,7m de long (55 pieds), 4,85 de large, 20 tonnes et 19 m de grand mât, nous sommes fières d’y être matelotes." The Bonita2025 project is the perfect training ground for finding the balance between letting go, trusting in life and our lucky stars, whilst holding the helm steady and staying on course. After searching for and finding a standard 40-foot boat to continu

Carinne Bertola, Danielle Rosset, Esther Challandes-Stamm et Valérie Bauwens, à Morges. Photo: Phillippoz par Lucas Philippoz, le 2 juin 2026 - Journal de Morges Five women have sailed from Marseille to Sardinia, following in the footsteps of famous female sailors a century later. They will continue their adventure in the autumn. The story. The idea seems simple on paper: to retrace, a century later, the voyage from Marseille to Athens undertaken by Ella Maillart, Hermine and

Dear readers, Our 2026 adventure is taking shape and progressing rapidly. It will begin on 6 September, and we will reveal more details in our next article. In this article, we hear from Christine, a French teacher in class 10VP1 at the Cugy secondary school. Christine was one of our invaluable behind-the-scenes partners for our 2025 adventure. As the project’s initiator, I always wanted to incorporate a learning component. My hope is that this adventure extends beyond the bo

Plage d'argent, Corse, septembre 2025, et Avel Eol au mouillage They rose to the challenge set by Christine Saupagna Isler, their French teacher, as part of their French lessons. The pupils in the VP1 class at Cugy School have written adventure stories inspired by our sea voyage and that of the girls in 1925. The given topic: "A group of female sailors set out to sea in search of adventure. Anchored in a cove, they are resting when an incident occurs, which you will describe.

Dear readers, dear lovers of the sea and adventure, dear friends, dear families, Last October, we left you on the sun‑drenched quays of the marina in Olbia, Sardinia. Since then, everyday life has taken over again, at a fast pace. With the gentle return of spring, our Bonita adventure is awakening. Thoughts are flowing freely, especially when it comes to choosing the boat. Is this one too big? Is the other too modern? Does it have enough character? From there arise all the ot

Last miles The sun rises and we are alone at anchor in a bay in the Gulf of Aranci. A final splash amidst the fish and turquoise water gives us courage for departure. Avel Héol sets sail for the enormous port of Olbia, from which sea monsters sail to Sardinia. Moby smokes on the horizon and hums. Arrival at the Circolo Nautical of Olbia. Sailors are busy on deck. Large buckets of water are thrown, brooms and shovels are busy to leave a clean boat for the next crew, and also t

1925: we need bacon Wishing to make a stopover in north-eastern Sardinia, they found themselves in the middle of the night surrounded by 32 ships from the English fleet in the Mediterranean! They arrived in Aranci around 2 a.m. The next day, with the sirocco wind picking up, it would not have been wise to continue sailing along the coast. They decide to take a break, but in the evening curiosity gets the better of them! How can they visit these imposing English buildings? A m

Special dedication! For the 10VP1 class of the Cugy EPS (primary and secondary school) and their teacher Christine Saupagna Isler 1925 - In the kitchen of the young sailors of 1925 In 1925, Bonita had no equipped galley on board, and it was in the forward cabin, called the station, that they had installed all their cooking equipment and hung their provisions. They had embarked an enameled cast iron stove, which ran on kerosene, but which had to be started with methylated spir

1925: Suspicions of espionage at La Maddalena To avoid the swell, the fishermen advised them to sail along the east coast of Sardinia. Bonita was now heading towards La Maddalena. His crew believed that by flying the French flag and staying off the forts, passage through the archipelago was possible. But, too busy admiring the sunset and the granite island of La Caprera, they failed to notice that a large semaphore was signaling them. Suddenly, three cannon shots ring out on

1925 It's still dark in Porquerolles when the moorings are cast off, admiring the brig Carlos silhouetted against the moon. Where did we leave from? Where are we going? It doesn't matter. Here, it's the nameless, the infinite. Huddled in her pea coat, legs wrapped in a blanket, eye fixed on the candlelit compass, and pipe in mouth, it's Ella who takes her watch. It's her turn to be alone with her own dreams. Then, at dawn, the crew bustles around on deck and Bonita fills with

1925: the adventures of the early days "It's gale-force windy and the sea is rough, but the breeze is manageable. The sailors are eager to get going, even if they're bitten by the brisk air or the sea spray and a little dizzy from the surprise of the pitching. But everything is securely stowed aboard Bonita! The Mediterranean is theirs! The first night, made up of calm and swell, did not spare them. Half the crew was suffering from seasickness and was tossed about terribly in

It’s been almost three days since we arrived in La Ciotat. The Mediterranean has its own temperament, and as the locals say: ‘Here, there’s either too much wind or not enough.’ Right now, it’s definitely too much — setting sail would be reckless, and we’re not reckless. Moreover, unlike the girls a century ago, we have the tools to understand and anticipate the weather: after 48 hours of intense storms, we’re now dealing with the effects of the mistral and the tramontane. Com

July 7, 1925. Finally, the great departure! No more waiting—it takes a good two months to reach Athens. To look presentable, the hull should have been completely repainted, but the workers never came to finish the job... So Bonita sets sail with one side unfinished! Photographer Léon Mouret, with tears in his eyes, calls out to the young sailors: “Farewell, children!” One last salute to the Bonne Mère (the Virgin Mary), and the sails are hoisted! Ella Maillart recounts: "At 2

1925: Ella Maillart’s Logbook, June 27, 1925 It’s been about a week since Yvonne left Assisi to join me in the third-class carriage that dropped us off in Marseille one morning with a gentle mistral blowing. We traveled fairly well, even though in the carriage some Italians sang all night about an Ella who had her hair cut... and to silence them, all we could do was offer them our cigarettes. At 5 a.m., the Old Port looks just like I remember it, and I recognize the two caret

1925: Preparations Amid the Buzz and Excitement of Departure In the bustling Old Port of Marseille, the young women prepared Bonita for her epic voyage. Miette redesigned the dinghy and reconfigured the cabin to fit five crew members, a kitchen, sail storage, and provisions. They scrambled to sew curtains, gather mattresses, water jugs, cooking gear, navigation tools — and most importantly, a gramophone. After long hours at the helm, nothing beats a dance on deck! Ingenious a

1925: A two-month trip The voyage of the four young women marked another groundbreaking moment — an all-female crew setting sail. Ella Maillart wrote: "At 22, my greatest dream had come true: we were four girls on a sailboat heading for Greece. And nothing will ever match that first taste of the wonders of discovery!" They departed from Marseille on July 7, with plans to arrive in Athens two months later. Along the way, they made several stops: Porquerolles, to get used to th

1925. A 51-year-old classic: Bonita, launched in 1873 Bonita was an old yawl with a solid reputation among seasoned sailors — a reliable long-distance cruiser known for its steady performance. Weighing in at 14 tons, Bonita was built at the Mallard shipyard in Saint-Servan. It first made a name for itself racing off the coast of Saint-Malo, before making its way to Marseille in plain winter — a 31-day voyage with a 70-year-old English captain, his dog, and a very young deckha

1925 - Traveling, a quest for peace " I travel to find those who still know how to live in peace. " Ella Maillart, 2001, "La voie cruelle", p.34 Editions Payot & Rivages, Paris Original edition: 1947, William Heinemann Ltd Little anecdote: Photo Carinne Bertola This famous quote is actually the response Ella Maillart gave to C.G. Jung — the renowned psychologist himself — during a visit to Zürich. E. Maillart: “I visited C.G. Jung with the rather naïve hope that, in just a fe

Découvrez les objectifs du projet Bonita 2025 : hommage aux pionnières de 1925, apprentissage de la navigation et réflexion sur l’évolution sociétale

1925: struggle, adventure, joy, and camaraderie “The sea! For each of us, it means something different: a constant battle of mind and body against the elements; a quest for adventure; a longing for solitude; or a river to cross into a dreamland. But all of it blends into the shared joy of being aboard, forging a deep camaraderie.” Oulié, M. (1930) "5 filles en Méditerranée", p.26, Editions originales Redier, © 2004 Edilarge S.A., Editions Ouest France, Rennes The Sea: A Sourc