EXPEDITION SUMMARY
A new round-the-world voyage aboard the sailing vessel Fleur de Passion to study mangroves
A new round-the-world voyage aboard the sailing vessel Fleur de Passion to study mangroves
ROOTS AS A METAPHOR
Fleur de Passion is embarking on a new round-the-world voyage, with the study of mangroves as its guiding thread.
After a first circumnavigation in the footsteps of Magellan (2015–2019), followed by four years of exploration in the Arctic Ocean (2020–2024), Pacifique is opening a new chapter with its Mangrove expedition.
From 2026 to 2030, the sailing vessel will follow the equatorial belt to conduct an unprecedented and essential assessment of mangroves. Building on the experience gained during scientific missions in Gambia since 2023, the project is scaling up. It continues in partnership with the University of Geneva and other academic institutions to deepen knowledge of these major coastal ecosystems, which remain largely misunderstood.
The expedition goes beyond mere scientific observation. Mangrove roots metaphorically symbolize the link between sea and land. For Pacifique, it also reflects twenty years of commitment to youth in difficulty through the Youth at Sea program. On board, these marginalized teenagers find new bearings and a course for their future.
EXPEDITION MISSIONS
The sound of waves, the cries of seagulls, the first light of morning: on the Portuguese coast, facing the vastness of the Atlantic, a ship prepares to cast off. The crew, too, is ready for the journey: young people seeking new horizons, sailors eager for adventure, scientists determined to study delicate ecosystems, and artists convinced that beauty can change the world. Among them, Corto Maltese, captain and traveling companion, is ready to be guided by the wind, curiosity, and a desire for connection. The journey leads us to the heart of the mangroves—anchors between two worlds, land and water, in a precarious balance. Between water and mud, Pacifique aims to discover the hidden strength of their roots—the famous “roots of transformation.” But climate change threatens this ecosystem, just as human beings risk losing their own balance in an increasingly complex world.
Mangroves, which draw their strength from connection, hold the secret to a stability found not simply by observing them, but by allowing oneself to be transformed by them. The boat becomes not just a means of navigation, but a place to undertake the deepest journey: becoming oneself. In practical terms, the ship’s identity is dual: its mission is based on two distinct scientific objectives carried out simultaneously on board. Two teams of researchers will work side by side to decipher, with the same scientific rigor, the roots of transformation:
From the ecosystem to the human being, the goal is one: to discover what makes us resilient
THE ITINERARY: HEADING FOR THE GREEN BELT
A journey of nearly five years to follow the planet’s pulse. From 2026 to 2030, the ship’s wake will trace a lifeline across the intertropical zone, connecting major deltas and isolated archipelagos. The odyssey will begin in May 2026, departing from Portugal. The ship will head south toward Gambia before crossing the Atlantic to reach Brazil (Noronha, Salvador). In 2027, after a stopover in Colombia and passing through the Panama Canal, the expedition will immerse itself in the Great Ocean: from the Galápagos to the Marquesas, and on to New Caledonia. 2028 will be dedicated to the “Coral Triangle” and Asia, exploring the Solomon Islands, Indonesia (Bali), and Vietnam. The return journey in 2029 will cross the Indian Ocean via Singapore, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Kenya, and Madagascar, rounding South Africa at Cape Town. Finally, after a final ascent of the Atlantic via Saint Helena and Brazil, the ship will return to the Mediterranean by late 2030.
THE ITINERARY
A journey of nearly five years to follow the planet’s pulse. From 2026 to 2030, the ship’s wake will trace a lifeline across the intertropical zone, connecting major deltas and isolated archipelagos. The odyssey will begin in May 2026, departing from Portugal. The ship will head south toward Gambia before crossing the Atlantic to reach Brazil (Noronha, Salvador). In 2027, after a stopover in Colombia and passing through the Panama Canal, the expedition will immerse itself in the Great Ocean: from the Galápagos to the Marquesas, and on to New Caledonia. 2028 will be dedicated to the “Coral Triangle” and Asia, exploring the Solomon Islands, Indonesia (Bali), and Vietnam. The return journey in 2029 will cross the Indian Ocean via Singapore, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Kenya, and Madagascar, rounding South Africa at Cape Town. Finally, after a final ascent of the Atlantic via Saint Helena and Brazil, the ship will return to the Mediterranean by late 2030.
THE SHIP: A STORY OF METAMORPHOSIS
Openness to transformation begins with the ship itself, a living witness that change is possible. Fleur de Passion carries a history of successive rebirths inscribed in its hull. Born in 1941 as a Kriegsfischkutter, a military motor sailer for the German Navy, it became a French war prize in 1945 under the name Trébéron. In 1976, thanks to the vision of Claude Millot, its face and soul changed to become Fleur de Passion, a ketch dedicated to education and science. Finally, the Pacifique organization completed its full restoration, returning it to the sea in 2009. Today, it is no longer just a sailboat: it is a living, multidisciplinary platform that unites historical memory with future challenges.
A SYMBOL OF INTERNATIONAL GENEVA
Fleur de Passion, flying the Swiss flag, represents a strong local impact with a global vision, exporting a unique model of research and solidarity.
In these contexts, the ship will practically serve their local projects, offering logistical support and serving as an operational platform for conservation initiatives, thus transforming each stopover into direct action on the ground.
THE PROTAGONISTS
On board, different souls coexist for a single goal:
- The Pacifique Team: This is the beating heart of the expedition. A close-knit group that unites professional sailors ensuring safety, specialized educators guiding young people on their growth journey, a communication team ready to share the voyage’s voice, and a shore-based team providing daily operational support for the ship.
- Corto Maltese and CONG: An invisible but constant presence. Thanks to the invaluable collaboration with CONG, who will be on board with us and who preserves the artistic legacy of Hugo Pratt, the famous sailor is in every respect our spiritual captain. He embodies curiosity, respect for different cultures, and the quest for freedom, serving as an ideal compass for all the souls sailing on Fleur de Passion.
- Patrizia Zanotti, Director of CONG SA.
- Marco Steiner, Writer
- F.-A. Forel Institute (UNIGE): The team of environmental scientists who will monitor ecosystem health, reading mangrove roots to understand how nature responds to change.
- Daniel McGinnis, Associate Professor (Department of Environmental and Water Sciences, UNIGE).
- Cesar Ordonez, Scientific Collaborator (Department of Environmental and Water Sciences, UNIGE).
- Anja Hajdukovic, Scientific Collaborator (Department of Environmental and Water Sciences, UNIGE).
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (UNIGE): The team of researchers who will study “human roots,” using scientific rigor to analyze the mechanisms that allow young people to find themselves.
- Céline Girardet, Senior Lecturer and Researcher (FPSE, University of Geneva).
- Lucie Mottier Lopez, Full Professor (FPSE, University of Geneva).
- Didier Maurice Grandjean, Full Professor (FPSE and Interfaculty Center for Affective Sciences – CISA, University of Geneva).
- Théophane Piette, Researcher and PhD student (FPSE, University of Geneva).
- Dominique Broussal, University Professor (University of Toulouse – Jean Jaurès).
- Artists in Residence: Writers, illustrators, and musicians who will live on board to translate scientific and human complexity into narrative and emotion.
- The Youth of “Youth at Sea”: The true protagonists of this transformation. Teenagers and young adults who come on board leaving behind a past