It doesn't take much for Clara Colman to have the thrill of doing repeated goat jumps. It was enough for him to see Maxime Sorel give up, a few days after having ruined his ankle on his boat, to make him gag a little. Because at the slightest glitch that hits one of the competitors in the solo round-the-world race, Conrad's wife can't help but “think of what could happen” for her man, who is competing in his second Vendée Globe.
It must be said that the New Zealander has often tested his wife's heart by setting out to brave the oceans, such as in the 2016 Vendée Globe, where he went overboard after a maneuver which ejected him from his boat. Fortunately, he was able to get back on his Imoca and finish the race. Eight years later, Conrad Colman, in the middle of the Atlantic, solid on his feet, remembers this misadventure:
« I had put my life in danger, but I decided not to tell anyone, I didn't want to worry my wife. Except that I forgot that I hadn't talked about it, and I brought this story out during the press conference at the finish of the Vendée Globe. My wife and all my relatives present looked at me in a weird way, like “are you crazy or something”. »
Discussions before the race
“When I learned it during this press conference, it shocked me,” Clara Colman tells us today. I guess it was a bit emotional to hear that. There were a lot of mixed feelings, but I was very upset. The abscess had to be burst. We discussed it and he admitted that indeed, perhaps warning me before the press conference would have been good. » What do you mean before the press conference? Not right after the accident?
Well no. Because the couple, after a sort of marital UN Security Council, decided to avoid discussing subjects that are annoying when the man goes to sea. “If there are situations that really put him in danger, but in the end, everything is fine, indeed, he doesn't talk to me about it, assures Clara Colman. For me, it doesn't do much for me, other than adding to the stress that I still have a little bit of anyway. »
“It’s a question of trust”
So how can we best manage the worry of loved ones left behind? Few skippers adopt the strategy of blindness used by the Colman couple, but the way of telling “bad” news differs in the fleet. A few hours after abandoning, due to a serious ankle injury which prevented him from making repairs on his Imoca, Maxime Sorel (V and B-Monbana-Mayenne) told us that he explained everything in detail to his loved ones:
« I prefer to say everything. There, I said “I took a blow to my ankle, it hurts, but I don’t know how it will progress”. I sent photos every twelve hours to the organization's medical team, my staff, my loved ones to see the progress on the ankle. If you know that the person could potentially be hiding things from you or you see that they are not telling you everything, that may worry you more. It's a question of trust. »
Trust, the word comes up a lot when discussing with sailors and those around them. Going for three months at sea, on racing cars, in sometimes complicated and dangerous conditions, can make you spend a few sleepless nights. And even more so when you find yourself in the management of the team, like Servane Escoffier, the partner of Louis Burton and team manager of Valley Office : “When there is a problem on the boat, at the moment, for fifteen years in my role, I manage to deal with the emergency first and I have managed to manage and put emotions aside . But that doesn't mean that in hindsight I don't have any. »
“We don’t hide anything from children”
Especially since, during the Vendée Globe, she must also manage the children's emotions and keep them informed of possible incidents. “If it ever becomes very, very complicated, the children will not stay at home,” adds the woman who is also a sailor. Monday evening [quand Louis Burton a été victime d’une avarie]the two went into a bubble of sweetness at my father's house. On the other hand, we never hid anything from them. My phone is always on, they see me on the phone very regularly at night for small incidents or annoying things. »
All the news from the Vendée Globe
If Louis Burton and Servane Escoffier choose to tell each other everything, without taking a pinch, so that the team is as responsive as possible, Eric Bellion (Stand as One), he prefers to take care of the cabbage and the goat. “Knowing that it’s my wife who answers the hotline, I’m going to say everything. Afterwards, I pay close attention to how I say it, with a positive tone. I'm not being alarmist right away. I can go sleep for half an hour and call afterwards. Afterwards, if my life is in danger, I call straight away. »
Whether there is total transparency in the couple or not, the loved ones left on land know, in any case, that the profession is at risk. “We are aware that these are humans on very large boats with weather conditions that are uncontrollable,” notes Clara Colman. When something goes wrong, usually the domino effect is quite violent. » And she didn't need an uncontrolled admission at a press conference to know it.
