Stuck for several days in the calm, a sea of oil almost without wind, the adventurer Guirec Soudée recounts in his 3rd logbook for the AFP the hazards of “Doldrums”, an unpredictable zone from which he hopes soon to extricate themselves to finally reach the southern hemisphere.
“I'm still in the Doldrums, and it's not easy. The wind is in my face, and I spend my time trying to find the right trajectory, the right sail and observing the clouds to anticipate the grains.
Depending on their color, the thickness, these are messages that I try to transcribe behind in my navigation because here the weather files are not at all consistent, it is not easy to understand, it is a bit the lottery all the time.
I'm constantly in action and last night (Friday) I didn't sleep at all. I followed this morning with two twenty-minute naps, it was a great luxury.
But it's really Russian roulette in this area, there are storms, no wind, then gusts of wind. Yesterday, it stopped sharply in front, I was able to move up some places, but now it's coming back from behind on Saturday… There's a good part of chance.
I hope to see the end of this Doldrums very soon, because I have just spent two days in the calm, with only 4 knots of wind… It's much more exhausting than when there is wind , even if it is not dangerous. You spend your time trying to catch the slightest laugh to move forward.
When things go quickly, the boat is well adjusted, you can concentrate on the rest: the weather, rest, DIY and above all enjoying the landscape. There, it's impossible. Yesterday I was super hungry, I had breakfast at 8 a.m. and then I didn't manage to eat before 7 p.m. because I was only concentrating on navigation.
But apart from that, morale is high! I've been at sea for twelve days and I'm really happy: three years since I last spent so much time alone. Time flies when you're not bored and it's so good to know that I still have weeks left at sea alone: it's only the beginning and so much the better.
In our group, we are getting closer to the equator, it warms up well. Fortunately, I have a small fan to cool me down. Passing this place is a real highlight of the trip, you feel that you are on the right road, close to the border of the 40th and the Great South.
The next time I pass it, in the other direction, I'll be almost home. For the moment, I'm not thinking about it too much given my speed. I even wonder if at this rate, I won't finish the Vendée Globe in 2026…
Often, we offer a little alcohol to Neptune when we cross the equator. But I don't drink alcohol, so I'm going to toast with a nice glass of apple juice, it's perfect to mark the occasion. We're almost there, heading to the forties and surfing on the beautiful swell. I can't wait to be there”
Comments collected by François D'ASTIER.
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