translate English to French: As the captain later told the investigators, he had been searching since 1995 for sufficient funds to undertake his voyage, but had experienced a series of financial problems, which made even the upkeep of the boat, on which he and his fiancée were then living, difficult.
Comme il l'a lui-même indiqué aux enquêteurs, le commandant recherchait depuis 1995 des fonds pour reprendre son périple, ayant rencontré des difficultés financières qui rendaient même difficile l'entretien du bateau sur lequel lui et sa compagne vivaient alors.