While the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe started on Sunday November 10 from Les Sables-d'Olonne, this Tuesday, November 12, 2024, we get news from the Norman skipper Louis Duc. Throughout this sailing trip around the world, France Bleu Cotentin and France Bleu Normandie are joining forces to make you experience the adventure of the 41-year-old sailor, originally from Barneville-Carteret. After three days of racing, Louis Duc is happy to finally experience this moment, alone at sea and without assistance: “I don't really realize that we are going on a world tour, I have the impression of going on a regatta as we usually do with the Transat Jacques Vabre or the Route du Rhum. What's more, my The boat had no damage, it's not too bad for a start.”
Shy start to Cape Finisterre
After a very calm first 24 hours of racing, the skippers got back to the heart of the matter with Cape Finisterre, located in the province of La Coruña, in Spain. A Cape Finisterre lives up to its reputation: stormy and very windy! After this passage, skipper Louis Duc, aboard his Imoca Fives Group-Lantana Environnement, is this Tuesday, at 2 p.m., in 22nd position in the Vendée Globe. This passage allowed the skipper to gauge his boat: “We knew this heading was a small matter. We were expecting air and sea, we were spoiled with 35-40 knots (74 km/h) with rough seas. I find that the boat didn't behave very well, so we had to reduce the sail to pass peacefully.”
“I still have lobster, it’s okay!”
Regarding food on boardit's pleasant for Louis Duc for the moment. He can still eat fresh produce, something to soothe the heart when you are alone at sea: “I still have a lot of expenses, so I don't take much time cooking. I have prepared meals, fruit, vegetables, even sausage! For the moment, I'm typing in that and when there are no more, I will cook.”
As a good Norman, we asked Louis Duc if he had any products from his native region. The person responds with humor: “I didn't have any Camembert, I don't have any calva either, it's too dangerous (laughs). On the other hand, I have some blue lobster and a few scallops.”
Armel Vrac
A see-saw sleep
Sailing around the world alone and without assistance means almost perpetual monitoring of your trajectory, weather conditions and other competitors. The browser still needs to adapt. His sleep hasn't been very restful these last few days.
“I managed to take quite a few naps the first night, little bits of 20 minutes. But now, for the last two days, I've been waking up every quarter of an hour, because of the sea, a passing freighter or an alarm ringing. At the moment, the naps are not very long, but it should improve, I hope, because it can't last like this forever But in the days to come, when I see the. course, it should be better for sleeping.”
Take a rhythm
While passing Cape Finisterre, Louis Duc found himself neck and neck with three other skippers: Jean Le Cam, dean of publishing, who is taking part in his 6th Vendée Globe, Benjamin Ferré and the American-New Zealand navigator Conrad Colman. Louis Duc plays the vigilance card: “I take my pace slowly, I measure myself against these competitors, these boats, I look at their trajectory a little too. So, I take my pace because I also don't want to be influenced and pull too hard on the boat, I'm going to try to be reasonable around all these little people.”
Jean-Marie Liot
France Bleu, your radio station, is a partner of Norman skipper Louis Duc. We will follow his first Vendée Globe every week with, in particular, our column every Saturday “On the Oceans with Louis Duc”.
