Two weeks of racing already in the Vendée Globe and the front of the fleet in this solo, non-stop world tour is still racing in the South Atlantic. These first days at sea have not been easy and the lack of sleep is starting to take its toll. Rest management is an important key in a race that will last at least 2 and a half months.
The laborious descent towards the equator left its mark at the end of last week, as evidenced by the large halos surrounding the eyes of Éric Bellion (Stand as One – Altavia). “I am at a significant level of fatigue, he assured Thursday November 21. I sleep around 3-4 hours per 24 hours and the emotions are really on edge. “
Guirec Soudée (Freelance.com) admits: he spent a sleepless night during his passage through the doldrums, this unstable area where the northern trade winds meet those from the south. Since then, the one who is taking part in his first Vendée Globe has regained momentum. “It was very complicated and a bit tiring, summarizes the 32-year-old sailor. I have recovered well, but I have to sleep 4 hours maximum per day. You feel that there are times when I would like to sleep a little more.“
Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Cœur) adds: “I had 3-4 days where I was really exhausted. I was really pushed to my limits, 20 minutes of nap here and there, as best I could, rarely lying in my bunk. But afterwards, in areas where the wind is weak or the conditions are more stable, it is very important to recover. I knew I had things to do on the boat, but at that moment it was more important to sleep. “
Sleep, yes, but not for too long either. In this long-distance race, sailors must learn polyphasic, that is to say, fractional sleep: short naps, short nights… “I sleep 6 times 1 hour per 24 hours“, explains Fabrice Amedeo (Nexans – Wewise) who defines himself as “moderately tired ” after two weeks at sea. This precise cycle was developed with a sleep doctor, where everything is quite timed. “We have defined several doors to sleep, continues the former journalist turned sailor. I have one at 11 p.m., another at 2 a.m., 4 a.m., 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. There is also anchor sleep: the 2 a.m. door can last up to 1.5 hours! “
On such demanding boats and in sometimes hostile seas, you have to have your eyes and especially your ears everywhere. Alarms emit shrill sounds to prevent too long sleep.
“There is an unbearable alarm 1m50 from my bunk and I have to get up to turn it off.”
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“It’s to make sure that I wake up okay and that I’m not just going to reach over, turn it off and go back to sleep. Sometimes we’re in sleep debt and very tired. It’s the unstoppable alarm for get out of his bunk”, says Fabrice Amedeo.
The other imperative rule of life on board : learning to fall asleep quickly, while being rocked by the waves and with often deafening noise in the cockpits. “ I’m not used to having so much noise in my new boat, points out Samantha Davies. It’s a bit inconvenient, but I have plenty of ear protection: earplugs, noise-canceling headphones, and even a construction helmet that I can sleep with. ”
What also allows for more or less peaceful sleep is the environment around the boats. “The more you are offshore like we are at the moment, the more you can afford to sleep peacefully compared to the coastal area, insists Guirec Soudée who has not made any specific preparation in terms of sleep. We come across very few boats: I have seen a cargo ship or two in the last 5-6 days. It’s a little quieter than when you’re near the coast, where you have to be very vigilant.” “In these areas, we always have alarms going off because we come across other boats, it’s really difficult to sleep‘, confirms Samantha Davies.
The current conditions, with a settled wind propelling the front of the fleet towards the Cape of Good Hope, offer some respite and allow the batteries to be recharged before attacking the terrible South Seas.
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