Patrice Franceschi

Patrice Franceschi (born December 18, 1954, in Toulon) is a French adventurer.

Franceschi is also a writer, a documentary & film maker, a sailor and a pilot. He has been awarded several medals and distinctions. Patrice Franceschi was also at the origins of many humanitarian missions in war zones (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kurdistan, Somalia, Afghanistan, etc.). He is former chairman of the Société des Explorateurs Français, and former chairman and co-founder of Solidarités International.

Franceschi is the captain of the 3-masted schooner ''La Boudeuse'', aiming at scientific expeditions related to social evolutions and climate change matters. He is most famous for being the first man to carry a solo around-the-world flight in an Aviasud Sirocco ultralight aeroplane from September 26, 1984, to March 26, 1987. Following this tour of years (562 hours of flight, across 33 countries), he wrote a book recounting his expedition: ''La folle équipée''.

He also took part in many expeditions, including the project ''The Spirit of Bougainville'', whose first ship ''La Boudeuse'' (a Chinese junk, thirty meters long), sank 130 miles east of Malta.

He is the author of numerous books and has directed several films from his expeditions. Provided by Wikipedia