In the summer of 1934, Léger joined Sara and Gerald Murphy in Antibes on their yacht Weatherbird. Gerald Murphy recalled the trip:

'During the first day out the sea was smooth and Fernand, who had never been aboard a sailing vessel, was fascinated with the rigging and all the contrivances on board. He had brought a notebook and a few watercolors with him and he spent the entire day making sketches. He had never worked under such conditions and it stimulated him enormously. The second day out the weather turned bad as we encountered Mistral. Very much to his surprise he did not feel the rough sea as he expected and persisted in his work. He made quite a joke of his being able to remain at his post while some of the rest of us were unable to do so. It was for this reason that he wrote on the cover of the notebook, "A Sara et Gerald de leur mousse fidèle [To Sara and Gerald, from their loyal cabin boy".' Gerald Murphy