Two years ago 24-year-old Guirec Soudee, from Brittany in France, set off from the Canary Islands on a round-the-world trip. A daunting prospect to venture into on his own, Soudee opted for an animal companion to ease the loneliness and Monique the hen stepped up to the job.
Recently, the French press caught wind of these two unlikely sailing companions and the Internet has since gone wild with tales from the boat. For pretty obvious reasons, it turns out that Guirec Soudee is the one doing most of the hard work at sea, while Monique appears to be living the life of luxury on board. The hen spends most her time taking in the views from the deck.
Despite the novelty factor, it seems that Soudee made a wise decision in his choice of deck mate on board the Yvinec (named after the island he grew up on) as Monique lays six eggs per week on average. The sailor told the BBC that he knew 'she was the one straight away' and ignored people’s claims that the hen would be too stressed to lay eggs. The pair have even managed to overcome language difficulties - Monique being born in the Spanish-speaking Canary Islands and Guirec being French - to form a close bond over the last two years.
After first sailing to St Bart’s in the Carribbean in May 2014 before heading to the Arctic and then onto Greenland, where the two sailors are now moored, Monique has sparked a number of interesting reactions. Particularly given that in many of the colder climates, poultry farming does not exist. But, a close encounter with customs officials in Canada has forced Guirec to acknowledge that further travels with Monique may not be quite so easy, given certain countries' quarantine regulations.
For the time being, the seafaring hen is enjoying an easy life on deck, retreating inside to shelter when the weather conditions take a turn for the worst. And, while Guirec admits that Monique can get on his nerves at times, the sailing duo are looking forward to the next leg of their journey, which will take them down the Bering Strait towards Alaska.
Apparently they haven’t yet discussed where to go after that, but you can follow their adventures on Instagramand
. Because who doesn’t want to look at pictures of a hen sailing around the world?
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.