The sailors of the Vendée Globe have for the most part arrived in the Deep South, in these latitudes which do not really promise a walk in the park, these roaring forties and these screaming fiftieths of sad omen, promises of regular beatings and days for the less stormy.
The worst is perhaps indeed to come, but in recent days, the skippers at the head of the race have already acclimatized to conditions that are more than sporting. “The sea is not too rough, but the boat still jumps in all directions, it’s extremely hard,” said Yoann Richomme before arriving at the Cape of Good Hope on his Paprec Arkéaone of the fastest in the fleet.
“Living like a monkey hanging on the branches”
It must be said that by hurtling down the South Atlantic at more than 25 knots (46 km/h), the enthusiasts of the round-the-world regatta did not make life on board easy. Guaranteed shaking for boats equipped with foils, these appendages allowing you to “fly” on the crest of the waves. “I took out the heavy helmet, because there we are a little hectic, euphemized Nicolas Lunven at the helm of Holcim-PRB. To cook, to sleep, to get around, everything is a mission! » The last winner of the race in 2020, Yannick Bestaven, explained for his part: “To foil, you have to know how to live like a monkey hanging on the branches. For the core, it’s great, for the legs, a little less. »
If the Vendée Globe monohulls display increasingly remarkable performances, it must be recognized that their comfort is inversely proportional to their speed. “Life on board is just terrible,” summarizes the Swiss Alan Roura who pilots Hublota ship born in 2019 that was helmed by Briton Alex Thomson before abandoning in Cape Town during the 2020 Vendée Globe. “The noise is infernal, very often at more than 70 decibels, the body is always tense. We sometimes experience monstrous braking when going from 50 to 20 km/h when we crash into a wave. It’s a real washing machine. »
It’s often said with a big smile. But it’s not nothing. “We sure can’t stay around on the deck drinking tea any longer! adds the Englishwoman Samantha Davies, who on her Heart Initiatives is this year in its fourth Vendée Globe. You have to be constantly vigilant so as not to suddenly crash into a partition. It’s tiring, and quite scary. But mental preparation is also useful in these moments. »
Do not believe that daggerboard boats, which go slower, are protected from these complications. “One day I brought my physiotherapist with me for a navigationsays New Zealander Conrad Colman who sails on MS Amlinmonohull built in 2007. She is a judoka and treats professional athletes. She was really surprised by the shocks and physical stress we endure. »
Comfort, yet of all the reflections
For the ten or so skippers who are taking advantage of new boats for this edition, this notion of comfort was at the heart of many concerns when building and preparing their sea steeds. “We all worked on the best possible compromise between speed and acceptable life on board, resumes Samantha Davies. Especially in the perspective of a world tour where we cannot be in the tough for three months. In any case, I set out again on this adventure with the intention of taking it easy on myself a little, I’m not 20 anymore. » Which does not prevent the 50-year-old Briton from following the infernal pace imposed last week to the point of wondering if it was not a little « too much ».
Making extreme navigation as pleasant as possible is what has driven Yoann Richomme and his entire team working on his Imoca for months. Paprec Arkéa. From the design stage, the choice was made for a boat at the front – the bow – rather pointed and raised, capable of cutting through the wave rather than making a series of “buffet stops” when the ship is stopped dead in its tracks. race. The sailor also worked a lot on his cockpit at the heart of the boat, completely closed for maximum watertightness, but with very high visibility of the sails, the sky and the sea, all to maneuver as sheltered as possible. “You don’t drive your car in a convertible in the middle of winter, jokes the skipper. All this is the result of long reflections and long refinements. My cushioned seat for example, I can no longer count the versions. It’s three years of work in the end, and it’s like that for a lot of subjects. »
The sleeping bunk is also particularly carefully designed. For Yoann Richomme again, it offers complete darkness, a moving cocoon accommodating the rolling of the boat, and at least relative silence, the ship whistling less than others which requires the wearing of noise-cancelling headphones. We don’t joke about the sleep essential to recover.
“Feeling alive”
The fact remains that around Antarctica, with sometimes terrible storms, you have to endure a month of navigation which can be an ordeal. The sailors know it, but they come back to it anyway. Masochism? “You have to want to hurt yourself, of course. But it makes you feel alive. The pleasure comes from there, from saying to yourself: it was hot but I got through it. When you go beyond your own limits, it’s a huge pleasure.” comments Jérémie Beyou, the skipper of Charal on the maneuvers for his fifth Vendée Globe.
Everyone has their own motivations, and competition as much as adventure is a major one for many participants, frustrated during previous trips. “I only managed to complete this world tour once, in 2009, and without having the weapons to be in the game, explains Samantha Davies. This year, I finally have the means to achieve my ambition with a high-performance boat. What I’m looking for is to race. I have the equipment to do it well. » And the Briton is effectively hanging on in the first third of the competitors which forms the fierce pack, having entered the South with a good lead over the rest of the fleet.
Whatever the results, many of them will try their luck again in four years, for the 2028 edition. “When we come back, we are obviously happy that it’s over, underlines Romain Attanasio, the skipper of Fortinet-Best Western. But after a while, we want to return to that state where we really feel at 100% of our abilities. » The call of the open sea is irresistible.
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The Great South and three capes
Skippers dive into the Deep South from the Cape of Good Hope at the end of the African continent, and exit passing Cape Horn, the most extreme latitude of South America. Between the two, they cross the third cape of the race, Cape Leeuwin, the southwest tip of Australia, and then swing into the Pacific Ocean.
Sailors must travel 10,000 nautical miles (around 18,000 km) in these hostile regions where they will spend around a month.
The Antarctic Exclusion Zone (AEZ) is an imaginary crown around the polar continent in which skippers are not allowed to sail, under penalty of sanction. It has existed since the 2016 edition of the Vendée Globe to protect boats from a possible collision with icebergs.
To read: Adventurers of the Deep Southd’Antoine Grenapin and Dino Di Meo, Hugo Image, €45.