A sailor and his hen

A French man and his chicken who have been sailing around the world will be spending some time on Vancouver Island.

Guirec Soudee, 24, has been blogging about his adventures on Facebook, garnering more than 100,000 followers interested in his – and Monique’s – journey.

Soudee picked up Monique on the Canary Islands, after deciding he needed some company. He settled on a hen to provide him with a constant supply of eggs.

On their first trip together, Monique produced 25 eggs in 28 days, and Soudee knew he had found a keeper.

“We are very close together, we are very friendly. I talk with Monique, she answers me. Maybe not with you because she’s very shy,” Soudee told CTV Vancouver Island.

Soudee, with Monique, became the youngest person to sail through the Northwest Passage in the Arctic Ocean. For that trip, Soudee added another member to the motley crew, a 12-week-old puppy named Bosco.

Soudee and company docked in Campbell River last week and plan to stay for about four months.

“I want to pass the winter in Canada because I know it’s a very nice place and very friendly people too,” Soudee said.

After the brief winter hiatus, Soudee plans to cross the Pacific Ocean, and then the Indian Ocean.

“If you want something, you just need to work for that and if you do everything you can, for sure you can do it,” he said. “When you do it, you’re the most happy people in the world for 100 per cent sure.”

- With files from CTV Vancouver Island