Delight for Dupont after long absence

French sailor Luc Dupont arrived in Albany on Tuesday morning from a different direction than when he was last here in 1993, and this time, it was of his own accord.

When the Frenchman set off to circumnavigate the world on his yacht in 1993, he had not planned on stopping in Albany, but a broken mast meant he was forced to come ashore in the city to make repairs.

Dupont was brought back to port by HMAS Derwent and spent nine months in Albany and became well known in the community.

After completing his first round- the-world trip back in 1993, following the Southern Passage, Dupont decided to attempt another circumnavigation, this time using the Northern Passage.

Setting off in 2008, Dupont has typically sailed for six months of the year, and then flown back to Europe to work as a ski instructor to fund the next leg of his trip.

Dupont left Mexico in April and said it was nice to be back in Albany. “It’s great to be here — I had a lot of fun when I was here in ’93,” he said.

“I made a lot of friends just through the yacht club and being at the pub.

“Albany is such a beautiful town, so I wanted to come back, but on purpose this time.”

While in Albany, Dupont learned to play the didgeridoo and said he still loved to play it.

“The first time I saw someone playing it, I wanted to learn — it only took me about two months but it is a lot of fun,” he said

Dupont will be at the Princess Royal Sailing Club for the next two or three weeks before heading off across the Indian Ocean.