Alain Bombard, French physician, 1924-2005

In 1952, the young Alain Bombard, a 27-year-old physician-navigator, left Las Palmas in the Canary Islands on an inflatable boat he christened “l’Hérétique”, with no food or water.

He thus covered one-quarter of the globe’s circumference under the worst possible conditions, and two months later arrived safe and sound at Barbados, in the West Indies. Eating fish and plankton and drinking fish juice and rainwater, he proved that it is possible for a castaway to survive at sea thanks to the ocean’s riches.

With his book, “Naufragé Volontaire”, published in 1958, he acquired worldwide fame and then took part in various research projects and the development of liferafts.

the creation of a line of Bombard inflatable boats

He then saw the creation of a line of inflatable boats bearing his name: watercraft designed for pleasure boating as well as Commando boats applied to more professional uses.He then saw the creation of a line of inflatable boats bearing his name: watercraft designed for pleasure boating as well as Commando boats applied to more professional uses.

In France and abroad, his name is still associated with survival at sea and, more generally, with the protection of the sea and marine ecology.

Alain Bombard forged the values of adventure and reliability of the brand that bears his name. By offering safe, robust products, Bombard boats are a reference to this heritage every day.

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