Au grès des voiles · video

What this video covers

Visitors to the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou tour the launch zones for Ariane 5, Soyuz, and Vega rockets, including the massive concrete flame trenches designed to deflect exhaust.2:44 The facility receives Soyuz components manufactured in Samara, Russia, which arrive by rail in Saint Petersburg before completing an 18-day sea transit to French Guiana.1:36 Following the space centre tour, the crew visits a local equestrian centre before sailing to Îlet la Mère.2:59 This island, a former 19th-century penal colony, currently hosts a population of Saimiri, or squirrel monkeys, originally introduced by the Institut Pasteur in 1981 for malaria research.19:09 The monkeys, now under the care of the Conservatoire du littoral, frequently approach visiting sailboats.19:49 The crew navigates the tidal constraints of the area, noting that vessels must time their departures from Îlet la Mère to avoid becoming grounded in the mud at low tide.24:35 The transit concludes with a return to the marina at Dégrad des Cannes to take on water.22:53

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