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On the Pacifique Foundation’s website, you’ll find all the information about the origins of the expedition and the objectives of the voyage – Pacifique
In addition, Marco Steiner will be sharing part of the journey on his social media channels through his very personal “Logbook aboard the Fleur de Passion”
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Video and photographic material is available on the dedicated page of the Fondazione Pacifique website, which you can find here
In May 2026, the Fleur de Passion will set sail from Portugal bound for Gambia, the first stop on a voyage set to last almost five years. The route will follow the intertropical zone, passing through Brazil, the Galápagos, Polynesia, Indonesia, Madagascar and the South Atlantic, before returning to the Mediterranean in 2030.
The “Au cœur de nos racines” expedition, organised by the Swiss Pacifique Foundation in collaboration with the University of Geneva and other international research institutions, focuses on the study of mangroves – coastal ecosystems that are vital to the planet’s climate balance and are now increasingly threatened by environmental change. Mangrove forests protect coastlines, sequester large amounts of carbon and maintain a fragile balance between land and sea, which has been progressively deteriorating in recent decades.
On board the Fleur de Passion, scientific work will coexist with another dimension of the voyage. The “Jeunes en Mer” programme, developed by the Pacifique Foundation, will involve young people from socially vulnerable backgrounds in a sailing experience designed not only as nautical training but also as an opportunity for personal transformation. The confined space of the sailing ship, the rhythm of the voyage and daily life on board will form part of a journey that will also be monitored by research teams dedicated to studying the relational and emotional dynamics that develop during the expeditions.
It is against this backdrop that the collaboration with CONG SA and the narrative universe of Hugo Pratt has emerged. The Pacifique Foundation has chosen Corto Maltese as the symbolic figurehead of the expedition, entrusting the sailor created by Pratt with the task of symbolically accompanying a route designed to bring together different landscapes, cultures and stories.
Among the many ships that have featured in Corto Maltese’s life, the Vanità Dorata was the first. Even then, the journey was not solely about the sea.
During the expedition, a new novel by Marco Steiner will also take shape, written during part of the voyage between Portugal, the Canary Islands and the coast of Brazil, drawing on direct contact with the territories crossed, the local communities and the ecosystems observed during the journey. The book will be published by Rizzoli.
The Fleur de Passion, moreover, carries within its history a long series of transformations. Born in 1941 as a German military vessel, it subsequently became a French ship and then a sailing vessel dedicated to research and training, and continues to change even today without losing sight of its origins.
Spanning scientific research, education, writing and navigation, “Au cœur de nos racines” will traverse the world along a path that weaves together human experience and tales of the sea. It comes as no surprise that, along this route, Corto Maltese will also make an appearance sooner or later.
Sentieri delle Mediacl Humanities. La genesi della spedizione di Pacifique: quando si sogna insieme, nulla è impossibile
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