Plastic'Adour, an eco -responsible adventure aboard a canoe made of plastic bottles

Joffrey and Loïc had a crazy idea: building a canoe made of plastic bottles to descend the Adour, from its source in the Pyrenees to the Atlantic Ocean.An eco -friendly adventure to trace the plastic waste cycle of the earth to our oceans.

Passionate about human and environmental adventure, Joffrey Maluski and Loïc Forques have embarked on the challenge of descending the Adour, from its source to the Pic du Midi de Bigorre to its mouth in Bayonne, with a boat made from bottles of soda.With their plastical project, they want to raise awareness about the pollution of plastics in rivers by retracing the cycle of this waste from the Earth to the ocean.

At the end of August 2021, the two friends contacted themselves to try to go on an adventure together.Joffrey wants an expedition to """"""""""""""""bikeraft"""""""""""""""" mode which consists in making a journey that combines the bike and a boat.Loïc, on the other hand, returns from an expedition committed, in Africa, on plastic pollution.Leaving with the association The Flipflopi Project, he sailed on Lake Victoria with a boat built from plastic waste.

They want this adventure to be near them and made quickly.Loïc lives in Biarritz and Joffrey, originally from Var, knows the Pyrenees well.Their choice is naturally on the Adour which """"""""""""""""is one of the best known rivers in the Southwest"""""""""""""""".

The Plastic'Adour project has just been created.

""""""""""""""""We had to organize hyper quickly""""""""""""""""

The decision to make the adventure was made at the end of August for a departure scheduled for October 26: """"""""""""""""The idea of the project arrived quite late, I believe a month before we leave, roughly.""""""""""""""""

Joffrey and Loïc do not allow themselves to be killed by the urgency of the calendar.At first glance, the preparation seems a bit improvised.

We must now look for the raw material to make the canoe. Direction Bayonne et sa fête du jambon pour récupérer des bouteilles en plastique : """"""""""""""""On a fouillé un peu toutes les poubelles et on a récupéré les bouteilles de plastique qui nous intéressaient.""""""""""""""""With a preference for soda bottles because they are better at the pressure of pressure.In total, nearly 600 bottles were necessary for the flotation of the canoe.

Toujours dans un souci d'aventure écoresponsable, le choix de la structure de l'embarcation s'est posé sur le bambou qui est un matériau naturel renouvelable qui préserve l'environnement : """"""""""""""""On a fait toute la structure en bambou avec un monsieur qui travaille le bambou vers Castres.""""""""""""""""

Before the big start, the canoe passed conclusive tests on a lake near Biarritz.

Tract the canoe with the strength of the calves

On October 26, Joffrey and Loïc left Biarritz by bicycle and direction the Col du Tourmalet and its source of the Adour. Avec ses 90 kg, le canoë est difficile à tracter dans les montées et dans les descentes : """"""""""""""""À monter, c'était très dur, on ne pouvait pas rester sur le vélo.On the descent, the boat was so heavy, that in the end, it led us.""""""""""""""""

The initial idea is abandoned and they leave the canoe in Tarbes.Joffrey and Loïc still decide to climb the Col du Tourmalet by bike.

They come back down, collect the canoe in Tarbes and direction Aire-sur-l'Adour for its launching.

The adventure along the water

The first days, Joffrey and Loïc face problems of stability of the boat. La solution : retirer des bouteilles en dessous pour les rajouter aux flotteurs : """"""""""""""""À partir de ce moment-là, il était super stable.And if not, the big drawbacks, it was more maneuverability and weight.""""""""""""""""

Autre difficulté sur leur trajet, le passage des nombreux barrages : """"""""""""""""Il fallait sortir le bateau de l'eau de temps en temps et le porter.""""""""""""""""To 90 kg of canoe, you must add the bikes as well as all the equipment.To this is added the shallow depth of certain passages which makes any navigation impossible.

The third day, a choice is essential on a branch to take.To the right or to the left ?The decision is made, it will be on the left!A few meters further, rapids and a 90 -degree turn.The boat is deported to the shore and its brambles.The canoe capsizes.

Joffrey and Loïc resume their minds.Nothing is missing except a paddle and a gourd that they will find a few meters further. Ils reprennent leur chemin, frigorifiés """"""""""""""""On a fait encore six ou sept kilomètres.""""""""""""""""Direction their next step, Grenade-sur-l'Adour (Landes).

Soaked and tired, they arrive near the landing club of the Kayak club in the Landes small town.lls set foot.After a few minutes, club members come to see what's going on.Very quickly, they offer them to warm up, eat and above all dry clothes.Joffrey and Loïc will stay there three days to participate in particular in some activities with them.

The rest of their journey will be much calmer.Joffrey and Loïc go, along the Adour, to meet children in leisure centers to tell them about the purpose of their shipment: to raise awareness of plastic pollution in rivers.

November 13 and 128 km later, they arrived at the Bayonne Nautical Society.Friends and curious are there to welcome them, as well as one of the families they had met in Granada-sur-l'Adour.

When you ask Joffrey and Loïc if they decided to go back to an adventure together, their response is unequivocal:

Photographers and videographers, the two friends decided to make a documentary on their adventure for once again raising awareness as possible on this pollution that disfigures our rivers and nature.

And after ?

Each on their side, Joffrey and Loïc will go back on an adventure.

Joffrey will set off in early February on the roads of Europe and Scandinavia to reach the Var in Cap Nord in order to promote and raise funds for the Léo association which helps families and finances research on pediatric cancers.

Loïc, on the other hand, will go back to Africa for an offshore shipment of Kenya with once again a boat built with plastic waste in an attempt to find solutions to treat the waste of islands in islands.

You can follow their adventures on Instagram accounts: Joffrey Maluski and Loïc Forma.