Five tips for canoeing down the Seine without getting too wet

In the summer of 2018, Samuel, François and Philibert decided to go down the Seine, from Paris to its mouth, on a frail skiff simply named

.

After many adventures, the three adventurers finally reached the Atlantic Ocean.

Philibert Humm, after reflection, decided to tell this Odyssey of the 21st century in his own way in a book published in Ecuador and entitled, not without malice,

.

The report of this journey had the good fortune to please the jurors of the Interallié who decided to attribute it to the valiant captain of the

, the above-named Philibert.

Today, the author-adventurer, a not always freshwater sailor, by way of recognition, can reveal some of the secrets that made him arrive safely without getting too wet: the choice of craft, a taste for curiosity, the art of surrounding yourself well...

as Claude Lelouch says, so take to your paddles.

Read alsoRoman river, by Philibert Humm: friends first

1. Get a boat

The first thing to do when you set out to row down a river is to get a river and some oars.

If you don't have oars available but paddles, that works too.

There is no point in choosing a boat that is too big or expensive because it takes up more space and is expensive.

My advice: choose a canoe of the right size.

We can possibly add a mast and a sail by means of a rod and a shower curtain.

Thus the canoe becomes a sailboat.

It's more serious.

Boat with its mast and makeshift sail.

DR

2. Secure the services of an adventure companion

Going on an adventure alone is a risky business.

One is never too many if something bad happens.

And then it makes the time less long.

Philibert Humm recommends choosing a friend as an adventure companion because it allows you not to pay him.

If necessary, he can carry the bags or the canoe while you hold the card.

And if you happen to have a slack – even the grown-ups do – there will be someone to hear you whine and whine.

As you can see in this photo, the crew always knew how to keep a good mood.

DR

3. Choose an educated team member

It is also possible – this is optional – to enlist the services of another friend, this one endowed with an intellectual background.

Be careful though: intellectuals rarely make good adventurers.

They get tired for nothing, take advantage of the expedition to compose a herbarium and spread their knowledge on you like jam.

For his latest epic – rowing down a rushing river – Philibert Humm had chosen to enlist a doctoral student in the history of law.

This man was fluent in Latin and easily deciphered ancient Greek.

In the context of this adventure, it turned out to be of the greatest uselessness.

Travel is also an opportunity to establish a link with indigenous populations.

Even if the customs and attire of Philibert Humm may seem curious to you, you should never be reluctant to practice the business of human relations.

These fortuitous encounters are the salt of the adventure and make for good stories to tell on the way back.

The young novelist remembers an enriching encounter, off Porcheville, in the Yvelines department.

The native in question – his name was Pascal – had told some legends of his country.

The trio of adventurers as a reward for this improvised conference offered him a chocolate bar in return.

The bivouac, a key moment in a successful adventure DR

5. The art of choosing a bivouac spot Choosing a bivouac spot

is never easy.

If you are too difficult you never stop and, when you are too little, you stop everywhere... Philibert Humm remembers an adventurer who, in the past, was not reluctant to camp no matter where, on top of mountains or in the most infamous wastelands, on roundabouts, beaches at low tide, shopping center parking lots and even once behind the slide of an expressway.

A Latvian semi-trailer got the better of his audacity and he learned the hard way that the guardrail could not be a satisfactory shelter for camping.

Therefore prefer quiet and remote places, if possible served by transport and equipped with a defibrillator.

6. Tell his adventure and give himself the good role

The adventurer has this advantage over the insurance broker that he can turn his professional experience into a book.

It's called an adventure novel.

People love it.

We can give ourselves the good role and embellish a little but be careful to remain plausible in the relation of the facts: the readers are less fooled than we think.

*

by Philibert Humm, in the Equateurs, Interallied Prize 2022