There are decisions that look a little mad… and are obvious all the same.
And at the heart of this one there is her: CQS Evidence, a 1979 Mikado, 16 metres of length, of history… and of potential.
For us it all started the day we decided to let the sea into our lives. Not by walking away from everything, not by leaving for the far side of the world on a whim, but by building something for the long run: learn to sail, rebuild a boat, and travel differently.
We called the project Les routes de l’Évidence — the obvious routes.
A simple, patient, lasting project
Contrary to what you might think, our aim is not to give everything up for a life at sea.
We carry on with our lives ashore, but we want the sea to be part of them from now on.
Our idea fits in three words: learn, rebuild, travel.
- Learn to sail, at our own pace
- Rebuild a solid boat, one that can take us a long way
- Travel slowly, taking the time to understand what is around us
CQS Evidence is not a way of escaping everyday life. It is a way of enriching it, of making a space of freedom where you move at your own speed, guided by the wind, the weather and your own curiosity.
Why sailing? The case for travelling slowly
We chose sailing for what it stands for:
- freedom,
- frugality,
- respect for nature,
- and humility.
To sail is to accept depending on the wind, the sea, and time passing.
It means learning every day, reading your own weather, fixing things, adjusting, improving. Nothing is ever settled, and that is exactly what draws us.
In a world that moves fast, sailing offers the opposite: a slow, honest journey that leaves room for what matters.
Choosing the boat: why a 1979 Mikado?
When we started looking for our boat, we knew we wanted something solid. A boat that could stand up to the sea, sail a long way, and above all a boat with a soul.
For weeks we visited, compared, searched.
And one day we came across her: a 1979 Mikado, built in an era when robustness and safety came before outright performance.
What convinced us:
- a sound, thick GRP hull,
- serious marine construction,
- the volume,
- her reputation as a long-distance cruiser,
- and quite simply her character.
She had lived, that much was obvious. But behind the flaking paint and the years, you could feel something. A presence. A history.
A boat asking to go again.
CQS Evidence: a name, and what is behind it
CQS stands for Claro Que Sí, the name of our first adventure: a Renault 4 in the 4L Trophy.
A nod to a simple philosophy: of course we can.
“Evidence”, because this project imposed itself naturally — in French, une évidence is something self-evident.
Because this boat, despite her age, despite the work, was exactly what we were looking for — even before we knew it.
CQS Evidence is a mixture of passion, instinct and stubbornness.
The negotiation and the purchase: excitement and vertigo
Buying an old sailboat is never a small thing.
You visit, you discuss, you worry, you dream.
You go from elation to doubt, then from doubt to conviction.
That is what happened to us.
The more we got to know this Mikado, the more we realised she ticked every box:
- the size,
- the potential,
- the strength,
- and even her history.
When the moment came to sign, we had the vertigo anyone starting something big will recognise.
But also that strange certainty that we were exactly where we were meant to be.
And now? Work, learning and the first miles
The coming months will be taken up with:
- rebuilding the boat,
- a great deal of hands-on work,
- learning to sail,
- and our first trips in the Mediterranean.
We have no ambition to cross oceans tomorrow.
The project is built over several years, stage by stage, with patience and with passion.
We want to share every side of it:
- what works,
- the trouble,
- the work itself,
- the progress,
- and of course the places.
Welcome aboard CQS Evidence
This is the start of a long story.
The first chapter of a project that will change, grow, and change us.
We hope a good many of you will follow along, through our work, our sailing, what we find, and everything we live aboard CQS Evidence.
Thank you for being here, and welcome aboard.
Of course yes — the rest of it is going to be good.