Stuck in an impressive shoal of sargassum in the middle of the Doldrums, Guirec Soudée bears witness to his ordeal in a gripping video. A formidable trap for the IMOCAs of the Vendée Globe which…
At the heart of an epic crossing around the globe, the Vendée Globe skippers face an unexpected challenge in the dreaded intertropical zone: immense banks of sargassum. In a short video, navigator Guirec Soudée, currently 25th in the race, shares his ordeal facing these deceptive brown algae.
An insidious trap for Imoca
While sailing through the Doldrums, this area where the winds are capricious and the forecasts hazardous, Guirec Soudée found himself trapped in a vast field of sargassum. These algae, as they develop, can form floating masses several meters thick over hundreds of square meters. A real ambush for sailboats and their vulnerable appendages.
The cow! Friends, I have to take the stand, there is sargassum but everywhere, everywhere everywhere. This is completely crazy.
Guirec Soudée, skipper of Freelance.com
Forced to turn back
Faced with the scale of the phenomenon, the sailor paints a striking picture. His boat is no longer maneuverable, its rudders, keel and centerboard are clogged with algae. To escape, Guirec Soudée had no choice but to stop facing the wind, furl the front sails and engage reverse gear. A perilous and time-consuming maneuver in the middle of a race.
Vaccinated against this type of mishap
This is not the first time that this sea adventurer has found himself stranded during a journey. In 2016, during his world tour with his faithful hen Monique, he remained trapped in the ice of Greenland for many weeks. A formative experience for handling this type of unexpected situation.
Cross the Equator before new surprises
Despite these plant pitfalls, the skipper of Freelance.com maintains morale and a sense of humor. Standing in 25th place far behind leader Charlie Dalin, Guirec Soudée should cross the Equator during the night from Friday to Saturday. Enough to hope for more lenient sailing conditions when descending into the Southern Hemisphere. But the Vendée Globe always has its share of surprises in store for solo adventurers.
An edifying testimony to the unpredictable challenges that sailors engaged in this unassisted circumnavigation must overcome. Beyond the strategies and technological prowess, it is also a human adventure made of adaptation and resilience in the face of the whims of Mother Nature. Guirec Soudée is the embodiment of this.
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