The Atlantic is My Desert, Jean François Deniau

"I leave the hospital at the end of summer 1995 in a wheelchair, with crutches to walk, a neck brace to prevent shocks to the upper spine, very short of breath, a heart hesitating to regulate, and bandages from still-oozing scars to be changed every two days. After a triple bypass, I should spend three weeks in a specialized institute, regularly go to Les Invalides where the best rehabilitation service is located. Patiently re-learn, once again, to breathe and use my legs. There might be an even better option for convalescence. The open sea. The responsibility of the helm. Freedom. The ocean."