🌊💬 Words from the side "The most difficult transatlantic crossing of all"

While he is next expected on the line in a few hours, Martin Le Pape (Stargardt Foundation) looks back on his 8th transatlantic race and describes the conditions as "extremely trying for the boat and the man." Kito de Pavant (HBF Reforest'Action), Axel Trehin (Project Rescue Ocean), Emmanuel Le Roch (Edenred), Alex Mehran (Polka Dot) and Ian Lipinski (Crédit Mutuel) are expected in the evening (Guadeloupe time). In their words from the boat, the skippers all express their eagerness to arrive, like Franz Bouvet (Yoda). Others talk about the minor problems of the moment: Emmanuel Le Roch's (Edenred) boat lying down, Marc Lepesqueux's (Curium life forward) spinnaker falling into the water or Maxime Cauwe's (Wisper) heatstroke...

© Vincent Olivaud

Martin Le Pape (Stargardt Foundation): “the most difficult transatlantic race of all”

A few hours before his arrival "It's when you see the lights of Guadeloupe at night that you realize what you've just accomplished. A solo Atlantic crossing between St Malo and Guadeloupe. Ordinary for a sailor, not so extreme compared to a Vendée Globe, you might say? And yet this transatlantic (8th for me) was without a doubt the most difficult of all. The weather conditions were extremely trying for the boat and the man. The environment was stressful and the periods of respite were always too short. Only today was I able to spend a few minutes at the front of the boat without getting caught and soaked. That sums up the atmosphere of this transatlantic race. The boat was tossed around, but so was the sailor. I think I lost a few more life points and gained some gray hairs."

Emmanuel Le Roch (Edenred): "Be in shape for the finish!" "Oh, what a beautiful night! There were strong squalls, very strong everywhere, it was a complete mess... I lay down on the water. My fear was that the spinnaker would snap and break so close to the finish. I managed to straighten and reduce and then, no more wind! The next squall was without wind. I was well secured "belt and braces" with 2 reefs. I waited a little, I told myself that we were not safe from a surprise and nothing. I heaved in the 2 reefs, emptied the ballast tanks, rebalanced the weights.

I was crazy, stuck in this windless squall that never ended! In my head at that moment, it was completely crazy too! I was imagining scenarios where the boats around me wouldn't be affected by this famous squall... I was going to sit down for 30 minutes, I was knackered. And then, the wind gradually picked up and the boats around me were still at a respectable distance... But in any case, it's certain that I didn't win anything. It was the penultimate day at sea. On the agenda today: speed and sleep to be in shape for the finish!

Marc Lepesqueux (Curium life forward): “I was furious.” The night didn't go too badly with a starry sky and no squalls. Phew! This morning, beautiful sunshine. I decided to send back the A2 spinnaker, the full-size one, even though the A4 would have been preferable but it's in tatters in its bag, on the aft skirt of the boat. It went well, the boat glided well with the 200 m² of the A2.

I spot in passing, at the foot of the mast, a part that allows the boom to be fixed to the mast, alone, on the deck! I repaired that, not easy, but it's a good thing done! About an hour ago, the A2 spinnaker fell completely and quickly into the water. It was a "f***....." from a Constrictor that slipped! The large spinnaker under the boat, I was furious! It's badly damaged even though, unlike the A4, it should, after a good passage in the sail loft, be flying upwind again. So I'm going to finish with my heavy A6 spinnaker, while the wind eases. It's going to be a more peaceful end to the race. I'm going to do my best to limit the damage to the ranking but Andrea Fornaro and Cédric Château are going to be hard to hold or catch. Clearly, I had a lack of sailing before the Route du Rhum on this beautiful new boat. The objective will be to prepare for what comes next!

Maxime Cawe (Wisper): "To get going quickly, you have to get there quickly!" Everything's going well, obviously with less sail. There's less of this difficult decision of "which spinnaker should I put?" I only have one left, and it's the big one, so I'm alternating between spinnaker and Code 0. Today I think I almost got heatstroke when I hoisted the spinnaker in full sun without really realizing it. I was knocked out and spent the afternoon with a soaked cap on my helmet to get it all back down.

Otherwise, it's fine. We're approaching the less than 1,000 nm mark from the finish, so that's cool, even if it's a real pleasure to be like this in the trade winds in the sun! I can't wait to arrive, of course, but I'm sure I'll miss this 360° view of the sea and this starry sky like nowhere else. As they say, to leave quickly, you have to arrive quickly!"

Franz Bouvet (Yoda): "I can't wait to arrive!" "Last night was rough, with a torn spinnaker to retrieve from the water. And now, it's back on with the main spinnaker. I'm starting to look forward to arriving. Spinnaker legs lasting several days are very long. We can't see the end of them. Not much to report apart from two flying fish stranded on deck and more and more seaweed. Have a good day!"