CURRENT MISSION

Improve my ability to live in dynamic equilibrium with the world

ABOUT ME

I like to explore spaceship earth using the forces of nature. I had a lot of very different work experiences from mining prospection to aeronautical composites, energy efficient lighting, organic gardening, construction/landscaping and lifescience research. After over a decade of travel as a 21st century nomadic hunter gatherer, I'm now settling down in Verchères by the Saint Lawrence River and working for an oil spill response prepardness business training responders to clean up contaminated shorelines and bodies of water.

I like the forced fast learning curves of new environments, but especially meeting new people and learning from interesting discussions with people from different origins, cultures or backgrounds.

PHILOSOPHY

Caring less about objects, more about people, and minding footprint of everyday actions and decisions.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I used to live with two other couch surfers, and we welcomed CSers in our Montreal appartement. I use to welcome couch surfers on my sailboat in various countries, and when people in the port I was in were in trouble and needed a bunk. Now that I am living on solid ground, I have a huge extra room and I miss the random encounters of the travelling lifestyle so I hope CouchSurfing will deliver these wonderful experiences to my doorstep...

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

While I was liveaboard on my 24 footer racing sailboat, I had to find places to live during the Canadian winter, So I traded my time and skills at home improvement or boat maintenance/repair against couches in Canada or in the US. I joined CS.org and went on a road trip across the USA during which my friend and I met awesome couchsurfers. During the past 10 years, I had dozens of couch surfers on board S/V GravlaX for trips of a day, a week, or sometimes thousands of nautical miles. Now I'm starting a new chapter as a more conventional host.

Interests

Science in general, fixing things to make them last longer. Learning about shoreline remediation, renewable energy, sailing and maritime tradition, boudhism and ecology, road biking and cyclotouring, yoga, green building, organic gardening, and sustainability in general.

• cooking
• yoga
• drinking
• electronics
• gardening
• boating
• cycling
• hunting
• sailing
• business

Music, Movies, and Books

Progressive rock and reggae from the 60's and 70's, swing, jazz, blues, old school hip hop, electro, funk, tango and classical music.

Dr Stange Love, Sergio Leone's Dollar trilogy, Le hussard sur le toit, and Lars von Trier's "the Kingdom".

Guns germs and steel, Sapiens, Two years before the mast.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Wrestling gently with the shark that stole my fish to retrieve my spear without bending it while sperfishing near a remote polynesian atoll. The air at the surface had never felt so good when the dance was finally over!

Teach, Learn, Share

I like to listen to stories of people that are travelling in ways that I had never imagined and who went places I did not know existed. I also like to communicate my passion for the sea and my knowledge of the weird places where I have lived. I also like to tell salty stories and to cook, eat and drink with new friends.

What I Can Share with Hosts

An unforgettable experience, a few stories, a curious ear and two smiling eyes, the good feeling of having welcomed a respectful individual and created a genuine connexion. I also want to share the huge appartement I now live in and make someone's trip an easier, funnier, cheaper and more sustainable.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, France, French Polynesia, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Saint Martin (French part), Spain, Turkey, United States, Virgin Islands, British

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France, French Polynesia, Mexico, United States

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