Kawa - The Captain

Everyone is an artist in something, for Kawa that’s sailing.

You have to picture him, 55 years old but a face that could be 25 with laughing eyes and a warm smile blanketed by wrinkles of a 75 years old chap. Like many captains, Kawa has had countless lives. Starting to work at 14 years old as an apprentice baker - a personal passion transmitted by his uncle - where he excelled, he gladly baked hard working nights into his system when law wasn’t preventing apprentices to work at night (as today young bakers are not allowed to start working before 5 am). However, his dreams and proficiency were cut short by an allergy to industrial flours, a cruel twist of fate at a time where he won national prizes for his (t)arts.

At 21, Kawa was forced to reinvent himself. Knocking at the doors of a religious hospital to engage as a paramedic, he got lucky and was hired by the nuns to help the Catholics. During 30 years he brought joy and support to the patients, helping them to smile dodging the angry looks of Mother Superior for his antics.

During this period, Kawa cherished and supported his first wife, who gifted him with a daughter before succumbing to mental illness. Soon after, driven by a yearning for adventure, he purchased a sailboat and embarked on a life of exploration with his little one.
The Yakayalle, carried them on a grand odyssey, traversing the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, and back. They embraced the nomadic lifestyle, living in various locations, including Brittany and Brazil.

A life at sea is not without its challenges, including man or daughter-at-sea. Kawa casually recounts the time when Morgan, his daughter, tripped over the sailboat's fence mid-sea while attempting to fill a bucket. Thankfully, she was quickly spotted and remained calm, demonstrating the poise of a sailor's daughter and a sailor in her own right.

Kawa has been a tremendous inspiration, only willing to give and open to any new encounter life put on his path. He now gracefully navigates the currents of life, savoring the freedom he has meticulously crafted.Read more