A whirlwind tour of the islands

Fanny and Sébastien

We’d made a date. “I’ll be waiting at 9 a.m. beneath the Pas Perdus. You can’t miss it: it’s right across from the port,” said Fanny Arsenault, co-owner and co-founder of the Madeleine-based company Vert et Mer. “Sébastien is at the Rendez-vous Aventure. He’s in the Zodiac to ensure water safety during the kitesurfing world cup. We’ll see him at the end of the day,” she added. A day that would simply fly by: Fanny had promised me an excellent hike, and I was feeling as free as a bird… an island bird!

Having completed her studies and a stint with Katimavik, Fanny returned to her homeport just long enough to set down her bags, recharge her batteries, and meet a certain Sébastien Côté whilst en route to the islands for a sea-kayaking expedition. Fanny soon discovered that she shared many interests with the young man, who quickly became “her” Sébastien and the co founder of Vert et Mer.

Vert: a deep-rooted green philosophy

Sébastien fell in love with the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. It’s easy enough to understand. Meeting Fanny was pivotal. As the saying goes, “home is where the heart is...” Together, they would make Vert et Mer a front-runner in the ecotourism sector.

Both are professionals in various outdoor domains: Sébastien is a fully qualified kayaking instructor and wildlife technician; and Fanny specializes in sustainable and equitable tourism, besides training as a conservation officer and living history interpreter. Both have Leave No Trace ethics certification from the Leave No Trace Center For Outdoor Ethics; Fanny also holds an instructor’s certificate. As for the expression “leave no trace,” it means that any proposed excursion must have a negligible environmental impact—the idea being, of course, to pass through a natural environment without leaving any sign of your passage. Solidly grounded in a modern-day sustainable development ethic, Vert et Mer puts forth a unique and evolved vision of recreational services that endorses an environmentally respectful lifestyle. All in all, Fanny and Sébastien are a dynamite team!

A whole new pitch: the yurt

For five years now, Fanny and Sébastien have been hard at work on a new ecotourism concept: the yurt. Originally a large-capacity transportable dwelling used by the Mongolian nomads, the yurt has become the company’s spearhead. Sébastien has mastered the fine art of constructing these exotic tents—and he’s not shy about improving on the design. Ballasted by his expertise, Vert et Mer is forging ahead with a pilot project: a yurt encampment, the idea being to create a veritable seaside “village” as a base for a range of activities (see box, below).

Île Brion, isle of mystery

Home to various settlers for more than a century, the island today guards the mysteries and histories of its former dwellers: the Scottish families, Acadian fishermen and lighthouse keepers who left their marks. About 16 km (10 mi.) north of Grosse-Île, Île Brion is a jewel of Nature cast in the shimmering Gulf of St. Lawrence. Besides the distant whispers of its erstwhile occupants, this small territory has enormous ecological diversity, testimony to the pristine state of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Only special people allowed

Declared an ecological reserve in 1988, Île Brion can only be visited for scientific or educational purposes. However, the Ministère de l’Environnement du Québec, the government department that owns and manages the spot, has issued an exclusive educational license to Vert et Mer, thus enabling the organization to ensure accommodation and educational activities on the mysterious isle. Vert et Mer’s educational excursions to Île Brion, available to small groups only to minimize the environmental impact on this protected area, are a rich encounter between past and present. The island’s story is told in the remnants of human settlement and in its astonishing geology, which provides a condensed geological overview of the entire archipelago.

André Quenneville
2008-04-11