Contis
Contis is a Seaside resort commune of Saint-Julien-in-Born (Landes) in France.
To the south of the station, the current of Contis throws in the Atlantic Ocean. It marks the border between the Pays of Born and the Marensin.
See too
Famous characters
- the Berque brothers start has to make known themselves a little everywhere in France thanks to their crossing of the Atlantic has edge of a Prao of 6 Mr.
Born in 1950 and wire from a professor at the Collège de France and a painter, Emmanuel and Maximilien Berque were rocked in the novels Jules Vernes and the accounts the large explorers. In the Seventies they give up brilliant scientific studies for the Sea-Sex-and-Surfing of which they are pioneers on the coast landaise. At 30 years, the sea calls them further. They decide to cross the ocean like anybody it forever done. For these twins purists and nonconformists since always, a “adventurer” must be a free man, therefore without chief, therefore without sponsor! And the term “Without assistance” wants to say without the assistance of anybody, therefore without beacon of distress, radio communication, GPS. And it is in particular also necessary to make its boat oneself!
They then build a small raft of 4,80m in one month in the part of entry of their hurdy-gurdy house landaise. Since their beach of Contis in the Moors to the Canaries, they will always outside spend one year of exploration on 8m ² of net while living. With end of forces, they give up their project of crossing of the Atlantic. Requinqués by several winters of work in the building in Berlin, they draw a boat even smaller thanks to a software of their design in language Quick BASIC 4.5 than they will spend years to be developed as well as a personal program of astronomical navigation. On Micromégas II, named thus in homage to the work of Voltaire, they reach Miami in 1996, after 11000km traversed with the veil without GPS, engine, beacon of distress, radio, lifeboat, on a center-board of 4m gréé to old for esthetics! They thus really discovered America with old and without the least outside assistance on a boat of wood 4m, without never being gone there before neither in the plane, neither by cargo liner, nor recovering in the skin from the first conquistadores… They write to the account in their book “the mutineers of the sea” (Laffont) and make of them to a film “the twins of the sea” (Wrapped).
But that is not enough for them. What can one better do? Impassioned astronomical navigation “What makes the difference between a captain and an ordinary seaman”, in 2003, after an extraordinary crossing of 6000 km without compass, watch, log, sextant, GPS, broadcasting transmitter nor transistor, chart, book, guide of stars, stove, the Berque brothers reach very exactly the tiny island which they aimed by observing the sky to the naked eye, on Micromégas III the beam dugout of 300 kg out of wood varnished of their design, gréée with old. A single astronomical experiment in the history of navigation for better including/understanding the Old ones of before the compass and the measurement of time, and especially so that the knowledge of astronomical navigation is not lost. A true thesis of navigation applied to “the direction of the orientation and the precision of a landing in latitude in only ocular observation”. Two records very difficult to beat!
Their film “Door - closed under stars” gained the Price Alain Bombard in Dijon and Gold the Anchor in Toulon, the Grand Prix of the Public with the La Rochelle as well as the price Georges de Caunes with Vallauris.
To consult their site more or them to join, www.sansboussole.com or their Blog http://emmanueletmaximilienberque.blogspot.com/
Internal bond