Twelfth at the finish of her first Vendée Globe in 2021, Clarisse Crémer will once again start the solo round-the-world race on Sunday after four turbulent years, marked by motherhood, a change of sponsor and accusations of cheating on her against.
“It’s already a victory to be here today”confided in September the 34-year-old sailor, now at the helm of L'Occitane en Provence. “I had to fight a lot and it changes my state of mind quite a bit, especially mentally, because it's an accomplishment, even just to be at the start. »
In February 2023, her previous sponsor Banque Populaire had dismissed her in favor of another skipper, estimating in a press release that “for happy maternity reasons, Clarisse is today in a situation which does not allow her to hope to obtain the number of points necessary to qualify for the Vendée Globe 2024”.
The banking and financial group, invested in sailing for a long time, then decided to withdraw from the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe after several weeks of controversy.
“You could say it was tedious,” admits Clarisse Crémer, who gave birth to her daughter in November 2022. “Not everything is a good memory but I try to focus on the positive stuff. »
Her husband Tanguy Le Turquais, at the start of his first Vendée Globe at the helm of Lazare, assures that this choice is not yet completely digested.
“She didn’t understand” he remembers. “She’s still recovering from it. I don't know if we can say we're over it, but we've moved on. »
At the start of 2024, Clarisse Crémer and Tanguy Le Turquais were accused of cheating for exchanging messages during the last Vendée Globe before being cleared by an international jury.
“When we are athletes, being called a cheater is probably the worst insult”estimates Tanguy Le Turquais. “This episode was very hard to live with. We couldn't support each other because we were both a little choked up and hallucinated by what was happening. »
FOUR TRANSATLANTICS IN SEVEN MONTHS
In the wake of her sidelining by Banque Populaire, the Paris native was able to count on the support of Alex Thomson, a British sailor who was twice on the Vendée Globe podium (3rd in 2012-2013 and 2nd in 2016-2017), and its new partner L’Occitane en Provence.
“I was very upset. In my opinion the reason was not correct, it was just an excuse. I have a problem with injustice”, explains Alex Thomson. “The philosophy was to prove that she could be a great mom and a great athlete, without compromise. »
The former skipper of Hugo Boss then bought the boat put up for sale by Banque Populaire after its withdrawal from the Vendée Globe, the former machine of Charlie Dalin, second in the last edition.
A race against time begins so that Clarisse Crémer can be selected among the 40 participants of the “Everest of the seas”. She completed four transatlantic races in just over seven months to meet the qualifying criteria before her participation was made official in early July.
« It was a relief“, she admitted. “The positive point is that I am no longer the same Clarisse that I was four years ago. I have evolved a lot, if only through my experience in the Vendée Globe and through everything I experienced afterwards, on land and at sea.”
“I am not at all into revenge or building on negative things around me. It wasn't an easy time, I never hid it. There are things I wish I could have experienced differently. »
Her husband was impressed by her strength of character.
“She had a lot of constraints, it was trying for her. She spent her time fighting, sometimes against me. She can be proud of herself,” assures Tanguy Le Turquais. “On the psychological dimension, it was very solid. I was hallucinating, I didn't know her to be as strong as that. »
A state of mind also praised by Alex Thomson: “Her return after being injured to this extent shows her resilience, her strength. I am full of admiration for her, she is an incredible woman. »
After her 12th place in 2021 in 87 days, 2 hours, 24 minutes and 25 seconds, a women's record, Clarisse Crémer hopes to do better. “In my head, I’m aiming for the top 10”she said.
