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Marthe Oulié (1901-1941) and Mariel Jean-Brunhes (1905-2001) aboard Bonita, 1925

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Bonita's deck scene shows a traditional sailing vessel, featuring a mast, rigging and various ropes used for handling the sails.
June 1, 2026 at 9:41 AM
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Ella Maillart and Hermine de Saussure, Toulon, France after crossing to Corsica aboard Perlette, 1923.

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Ella Maillart and her fellow sailor Hermine de Saussure in Toulon, France aboard Perlette, which they had sailed from Marseille to Corsica.
May 21, 2026 at 9:09 AM
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Hermine 'Miette' de Saussure using a sextant to determine Bonita's latitude and longitude, 1925

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Hermine 'Miette' de Saussure stands on the deck of Bonita as she uses a traditional sextant, an instrument used for measuring the angle between a celestial body and the horizon to determine latitude.
June 3, 2026 at 7:17 AM
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On April 10, 1932, Hermine de Saussure and Henri Seyrig became parents in Beirut to famous French actress Delphine Seyrig (Day of The Jackal, Last Year at Marienbad).

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When, shortly after their marriage, Miette discovered she was pregnant, Henri exclaimed: "Make a little effort to ensure it’s a girl: If it’s a boy, he’ll have a hard time pleasing me as much as Francis: that’s why I’d prefer a girl." https://journals.openedition.org/syria/5308
June 17, 2026 at 8:20 AM
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Upon returning from her abandoned expedition, Hermine bought a small house in the woods in Charente-Maritime (France), started raising chickens, and lived the life of a farmer.

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As a young single mother with limited means, she faced significant challenges. Life had other horizons in store for her when she chose to marry a long-time suitor: Henri Seyrig. She joined him in Syria, where he had just been appointed Director General of Antiquities for Syria and Lebanon. They had a second child in 1932: Delphine Seyrig, who would become a famous French actress.
June 16, 2026 at 8:22 AM
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The book 'Sois Femme Et Tais-Toi (Be A Woman and Shut Up)', 2026 by Nina Almberg and Arianna Melone is a feminist look at the life of Delphine Seyrig and her mother, Hermine de Saussure.

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My mother, too, loves the sea… In the late 1960s, Delphine Seyrig was a renowned actress in French cinema. She worked with directors such as Alain Resnais, François Truffaut, and Jacques Demy. Her voice carried weight, and she decided to become involved in the feminist cause. This didn't sit well with her mother, Hermine de Saussure, with whom she had a distant relationship. But while reading old letters, Delphine discovered that her mother had been a ship's captain, dreaming of sailing around the world with her friend Ella Maillart. As she came to understand what had prevented her mother from pursuing her dreams, Delphine picked up a camera and directed the documentary movie Sois Belle Et Tais-Toi (Be Beautiful and Shut Up), 1981. In it, she interviewed 23 actresses - including Jane Fonda, Louise Fletcher, Barbara Steele, Juliet Berto, Anne Wiazemsky, Shirley MacLaine, Maria Schneider, Ellen Burstyn - about their experiences as women in the film industry, their relationships with producers and directors, the roles they were offered, and their connections with other actresses. Reflecting on her role as an actress, daughter, and mother, Delphine gradually found the words and images to express the condition of women.
June 19, 2026 at 9:34 AM
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But after covering 900 miles in the Atlantic, the project came to an abrupt halt: Hermine de Saussure was pregnant. Their adventure at sea came to an abrupt end.

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Black and white photo of Hermine de Saussure on board a sailing boat and wearing glasses as she looks wistfully into the distance. In 1926, Hermine de Saussure (1901-1984) led an all-woman crew and prepared to cross the Atlantic to Polynesia, carrying eight months' worth of provisions. She had been planning this project for over ten years with her two crewmates and friends, Ella Maillart and Marthe Oulié. In the middle of the Bay of Biscay, the crew had to turn back. On September 2nd, Miette went ashore on Belle-Île claiming that her sickness was caused by a liver problem. In reality, she was pregnant and had to cancel the crossing. Genealogical sites attribute to Admiral Roger Keyes the paternity of Francis de Saussure, born in April 1927. Miette later became the wife of the archaeologist Henri Seyrig in 1930, when she was already the mother of this little boy to whom her husband gave his name. https://books.openedition.org/pus/43683 This unforeseen event caused irreparable disappointment for the three adventurers. Yet, history reveals an admirable solidarity among the sailors, who kept the reason of their decision to abandon the voyage secret for decades.
June 16, 2026 at 8:18 AM
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In December 1930, Hermine married Henri Seyrig, Director General of Antiquities for Syria and Lebanon. He welcomed her son, Francis, whom he named after himself and raised as his own.

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Henri and Francis Seyrig, 1931 (photo Miette Seyrig), ruins of Palmyra, state of the works, 1930 (photo Henri Seyrig). "You cannot imagine how much pleasure I take in not recognising myself in him, in feeling my affection guided by my choice; and what a guarantee I imagine it provides for the relationship I will have with him. I have his face before my eyes all the time. Give him my warmest regards, if that is possible.” https://journals.openedition.org/syria/5308
June 17, 2026 at 8:20 AM
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Ella 'Kini' Maillart (20) and Hermine 'Miette' de Saussure (22) aboard the 7.2 m Perlette, which they sailed alone over 6 months along the Côte d'Azur, 1923.

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Aged 22 and 20, the two young women sailed alone along the Côte d'Azur, from Marseille to Menton on a small 7.2-metre yacht, Perlette. The prize money won in regattas financed these six months of freedom. Dubbing themselves "the Cinderellas",they cause a sensation in the posh ports of Cannes and Nice,climbing barefoot up the rigging. The stories reported in the press worried Ella's mother, who wrote to her:"Your clothes must be in a terrible state and you're going to become very ugly with all this sport.You're living like a millionaire and you can't imagine the effect it's having in Geneva!"
May 21, 2026 at 8:19 AM