Don’t go there, you’ll die!
Actions carried out
Kite-surfing in the sea of Bering, entering Russia.
Summary of the stopover
We’re at Nome’s bar, ready to sail-off the next morning. An old man, sipping his beer, looks at me with his big brown eyes. He tells me: “don’t leave, you’re crazy, you’re gonna die”. He goes on “Bering’s sea is dangerous, I cross it for 40 years”. Against all odds, we put our sails up and leave intrigued by all these unknowns. Saint-Lawrence’s island shields us from the first storm. We reach one of the rare sheltered bays in Kamchatka, where we wait-off the second big passing storm. Nature is wild. Brown bears have replaced the white polar bears we grew used to. Hundreds of curious seals swim around our boat. Storms come and go without convincing us to turn back. As soon as the wind is blowing, Fabienne takes out her kite surf to surf in the most extreme places. We are followed by a military helicopter. The Russians know we are coming. Without really understanding what is going on, we trust Alexei’s advice, who is our contact here and waiting for us onshore. The entry point to Petropavlosk’s bay is guarded. Without a permit, it is impossible to enter. After many attempts, we finally receive our laissez-passer to enter Petropavlosk’s militarised bay.
