To cross Greenland is a pretty cool thing by itself. Doing it with a chicken is even cooler. Since 2014, Guirec the Breton and Monique the Chicken have been traveling all around the world on their ship. In 2015, they picked a new challenge: to sail to Greenland and get trapped in the ices during winter. Ulule members have been monitoring their travels since Guirec brilliantly completed his crowdfunding campaign in 2014. Since then, Monique has laid hundreds of eggs, survived a 4-months-long wintering, met Inuit people and published a book of her adventures. A star is born.
“I was lucky to grow up in Bretagne, very close to the ocean. I’ve been dreaming of this adventure since I was a kid”, Guirec says over the phone while in Greenland. His credo? “You can make your dreams come true”. A message Guirec wants to send out by accomplishing his new challenge: a 130-days wintering, without any assistance nor means of communication, on his ship, voluntary trapped in an icefield, 20km away from the nearest village. Today, his wintering is over and the ship has taken place in the harbor of a small Greenland village.
“To cross the Atlantic ocean, touch icebergs, learn about Inuit culture, live in harmony with nature, etc. All of this is an amazing life experience I’ve been living since the beginning of this adventure, and I partly owe it to the Ulule members.”
In 2015, Guirec launched an Ulule campaign to get some backup for his crossing of “Greenland extreme, deserted cold lands”. 380 members backed him up and made his dream a reality. “The collected amount helped me prepare my boat for the wintering. This is a harsh environment and expenses are huge. I was able to invest in equipment and gear up my boat to achieve this journey.”
Most importantly, Guirec created a big community around Monique and her travels. More than 120,000 people are now following their journey on their Facebook page. “What I like most is when people tell me that my experience makes them want to try impossible things. It’s a great thing to hear. In my opinion, our journey with Monique makes a lot of people smile, which is very important in today’s general gloomy mood.”
We just had to ask: why a chicken? “I met Momo in the Canary Islands when I was crossing the Atlantic Ocean and I fell in love right away! I found her company atypical and I got fresh eggs everyday.” Bonus point: to raise curiosity among Inuit people and make introductions easier. “They never saw a chicken before. The kids there, they love Monique, and we get to give everyone eggs” says Guirec enthusiastically.
Monique is having a pretty great trip. A trip she narrates in a children’s book, successfully funded on Ulule in 2016. “I thought it was nice to have Monique telling our story and sharing our values with the kids.” Children can find out how a chicken survived Greenland with colorful illustrations, laughs, adventures and “more or less successful fishing sessions.”
Guirec is too happy to get back for the moment : “I’d like to travel two more years. I have tons of ideas, such as crossing the Indian Ocean or circling the North Pole by foot.” Monique and Guirec, on the road again?
Monique world’s tour in a nutshell:
Who? Monique the chicken and Guirec, adventure friends!
What? Sharing their travels across Greenland.
Why launch a crowdfunding? To sell children books.
How much? €18 075 (with a €10 000 objective)
Key sentence: “In twenty years you’ll regret more the things you haven’t done than the things you did. So get off the beaten track. Sail away. Explore. Dream. Discover.”