Monique the chicken that went around the world

Dream, yachting and the beginning of a journey

Yachtsmen often take their pets with them on trips. Usually on yachts you can meet dogs or cats, occasionally - small and not very rodents. Birds on board are usually already frozen. 

The young yachtsman and traveler Girek Sudi was one of the few owners of a truly unusual pet. Together with his brave girlfriend and partner - chicken Monique - he traveled around the world.

This story began almost 12 years ago. Then Girek did not even think about chickens or yachting. The 18-year-old boy went from his native France to distant Australia in search of himself and a livelihood. For some time, the Frenchman literally slept on the street - there was a critical shortage of money. Over time, the guy found a job and became part of the fishing trawler team. 

After a couple of years of wandering, Girek realized that he wanted to buy a yacht and go explore the world on his own. Since childhood, he was attracted by the sea, adventure and exotic. The guy's first boat was the 9-meter Yvinec. It was on it that Girek went on the first solo circumnavigation of the world. 

Fateful meeting

Almost from the first days on board the new boat, Girek thought about getting a chicken as a pet. However, friends and veterinarians discouraged this idea - someone complained that the chicken did not belong on board, and veterinarians said that in sea conditions the bird would be under constant stress and would not be able to lay eggs.

For a while, the guy did not dare to have such an unusual pet, he weighed all the pros and cons. However, one fateful day changed everything. Then Girek was in the Canary Islands, where he met a red hen completely by chance. The guy realized that it was love at first sight. He named his new girlfriend Monique.

Despite doctors' warnings, Monique started laying eggs almost immediately on board the Yvinec. Girek says that sometimes the bird was very supportive of him. Every sailor has hard days when he wants to give up everything, sell the boat and return to land. But then the clouds go far beyond the horizon, the wind subsides, and the faithful hen Monique lays an egg - and it becomes clear that everything will be fine. 

chicken odyssey

Walked thousands of miles with Monique Gierek. Their first joint trip was the crossing of the Atlantic. Then Girek was 22 years old and he crossed the ocean without means of communication. Interesting statistics - for 28 days of travel, Monique laid 25 eggs!

In 2016, the brave team spent 130 days in Greenland, where they successfully wintered and moved on. Already at the age of 24, Girek became the youngest sailor to cross the Northwest Passage on his own. Although we would argue - what kind of independence can we talk about if he had a faithful partner? 

The next step was the crossing of the Pacific Ocean. The couple crossed the ocean from north to south, all the way to Antarctica. The team passed Cape Horn and managed to make 3 more (!) Transatlantic crossings. 

Gierek planned to take part in the Vendée Globe 2024 along with his co-star. Alas, these plans were not destined to come true - Monique died on March 1, 2023 at the age of 9.

Over the years spent together, Girek managed to publish three travel books, make a film, hold dozens of conferences and continue to popularize yachting. The guy has a whole team, which, in addition to Monique, also includes the dog Bosco and 10 other people who deal with legal issues, public relations, filming materials and animal health.

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23.05.2023