Bernard Baclet & the Calisto Challenge: one last voyage for a sailor’s life
Bernard Baclet has spent his life at sea. At 80 years old, he is embarking on a new challenge: sailing from Alaska to Canet-en-Roussillon, France, aboard his sailboat Calisto V.
This "return voyage" will mark the end of a long adventure at sea that began over 60 years ago, in 1961.
A story shaped by the sea
Since 1961, when he first embarked as a deckhand, Bernard has never left the sea. For decades, he has sailed on every ocean. As a deckhand, Merchant Marine Captain, deep-sea fisherman, and then skipper of his own boat, he has explored the English Channel, sailed the Atlantic, visited the archipelagos of the Pacific, and cruised the coasts of America.
In 2008, Calisto V – a traditional steel sailboat built from the plans of a classic 1931 ketch – became his travel companion. He has sailed aboard it for over 15 years, between Alaska and Oregon, and even made it his home.
Calisto V, an exceptional ketch
“Built from Weston Farmer's 1931 plans, Calisto V is an elegant, robust ketch of undeniable heritage value,” explains Bernard. “It’s a sailboat with graceful lines. The gaff rig and the solid wood interior, in particular, make it a rare piece! It is also a boat filled with stories: those of the years spent at sea, and all the great crossings made.”
Recently, Bernard spent long months carefully restoring Calisto V in a shipyard in the United States. “The hull was stripped bare, treated, and repainted. The interior was redesigned: new kitchen, bathroom, engine compartment, storage, electrical circuits... Everything was redone. Modern instruments were also installed, such as the radar, autopilot, and anemometer.”
Today, the boat is ready for one final voyage: Bernard will return to France – the country he left when he was just 15 and which, according to him, has changed a lot since. “After a 64-year wake through worlds that I have seen disappear one after another, the need to return home has inevitably arrived.”
The “big return” and its administrative realities
In France, the future home port was not chosen by chance: Bernard is eager to join the Association des Vieux Gréements de Canet-en-Roussillon to pass on the legacy of Calisto V to “sailors who will know how to maintain it properly and allow it to continue its story.”
The final solo crossing Bernard is aiming for will be long and difficult:
The departure from Alaska is scheduled for the fall of 2025. The sailor will have to avoid cyclones in the Pacific and storms in the Atlantic, manage navigation and stops according to weather conditions, all while ensuring he stays on schedule.
As if that were not enough, Bernard is facing another significant difficulty he had not foreseen: as a French permanent resident citizen, he will not be able to benefit from the temporary admission regime for his boat upon his arrival in France.
“I had not included in my budget the approximately €15,000 in taxes – customs duties and VAT, ed. – that await me upon arrival! I could have been exempt from these taxes if I had been a foreigner, thanks to the temporary admission regime for Calisto. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and this exorbitant amount being asked of me threatens the balance of my project.”
Precious help in the storm of formalities
Facing this new obstacle, Bernard is seeking solutions: he is exploring forums and specialized websites in search of advice and reliable people to work with. That is how he came across the team at Bateau-immatriculation.com and Raphael: “an interlocutor who, finally, knows their subject!”
“We took the time to explain the subtleties of French maritime law to Bernard. Our team cleared his doubts and proceeded with him to the change of flag for Calisto V. But, for the customs duties and VAT fees to be paid upon entry into French territory, there is no solution: they must be paid. Bernard must inevitably review his budget if he wishes to continue his project,” explains Raphael.
Follow and support the Calisto Challenge
To raise the necessary funds, Bernard plans to republish three of his novels, some of which were written aboard Calisto V. He also hopes to take on cruise passengers on his boat during his upcoming Caribbean stops.
Finally, through this article on our site, Bernard hopes to find support: any help would be welcome for the realization of his ambitious project and his “big return” voyage to France.
To contact Bernard: bvbconsultant@hotmail.com.
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