Why did the post-Brexit talks drag on so long? One man responsible could be Georges Pernoud, host of Thalassa, a much loved French TV show about the sea, that aired for over 40 years, and helped ingrain an emotional link to France's coastline every week. 1/ https://twitter.com/Inafr_officiel/status/1348565932067717120

Pernoud died on Sunday at the age of 73. French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Pernoud as a man who "passed on to the French his love of the sea." /2 https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1348536648309616640

For years, Pernoud hosted his show from his riverboat studio docked in front of France Television's HQ in Paris (see photo and @AFP obit below). 3/

https://www.france24.com/fr/info-en-continu/20210111-avec-le-d%C3%A9c%C3%A8s-de-georges-pernoud-thalassa-perd-son-capitaine

Each show consisted of a series of beautifully shot reports on all aspects of the sea and helped instill a deep concern for the environment and, interestingly for Brexit, created a sentimental tie to France's fishing industry. 4/

Pernoud famously ended each show with "Bon Vent", a sailor's send-off that turned generations of viewers into living-room sea captains, ready to brave the waves. -ends