Moruroa Blues

Fourteen boats sail against winter gales from New Zealand through the Roaring Forties to a South Pacific atoll to join a small flotilla protesting against nuclear weapons testing. For 30 days, JOIE and crew withstand aggressive intimidation from a hostile French Navy, gear failure, and storms. This three-month, 6,000-mile voyage is an amazing achievement in high-action sailing.

Lying buried on Isle of Arran is a bottle of whisky. On the far side of the world a highly pressurized sales manager decides that the time has come for a change of gear. He wants to return to Europe, and instead of taking the plane he finds himself Ryusei

Ian Tew was born into a seafaring family and leaned to sail at the age of seven.

Shipwrecked on an atoll in the Indian Ocean, the author and his wife receive help from visiting sailors and adapt to life in primitive conditions. After emergency repairs, they leave on the 3000-mile voyage home. Illustrated with 25 color photos.

A fascinating, comprehensive history of French colonialism After Moruroa looks at the history of French colonialism in the Pacific—from the French Revolution to the Matignon Accords in New Caledonia and the end of nuclear testing at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls. What is the future for France’s Pacific colonies? As France integrates further with the European Union, can it retain ties with Pacific islands on the other side of the world? How will political changes in New Caledonia and a growing independence movement in French Polynesia impact on Paris? Nic Maclellan and Jean Chesneaux review the social, cultural, political and environmental impact of France’s presence in the region. They document French policy over two centuries, drawing on sources from Europe, Australia and the Pacific. With France’s “Grand Design” for the Pacific under challenge today, this authoritative study looks at the future for the South Pacific—after Moruroa. Nic Maclellan has worked as a journalist, researcher and community development worker in the Pacific islands. He currently works with the Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (PCRC) in Suva, Fiji. He has written widely on development, environment and disarmament issues, and is co-author, with Jean Chesneaux, of La France dans le Pacifique: De Bougainville à Moruroa (Editions la Découverte, Paris, 1992). Jean Chesneaux is emeritus professor of Asian and Pacific History at the Sorbonne (Université de Paris VII). He has traveled extensively the Pacific region since 1970. His recent publications include: Transpacifiques (Editions la Découverte, Paris, 1987), Brave Modern World (Thames and Hudson, London, 1993) and Abiter le temps (Bayard, Paris, 1996).