The sailor who is preparing to start the solo race on Sunday in Les Sables-d'Olonne, reveals her latest apprehensions, the great lessons she learned offshore… and how her life is organized. family in the absence of both parents.
It’s an appointment she wouldn’t have missed for anything in the world. Sailor Clarisse Crémer, 34, has reached Les Sables-d'Olonne from where she will set off on Sunday November 10 on her Imoca sailboat “L'Occitane en Provence”, for the tenth edition of the legendary Vendée Globe. A four-month solo world tour…
The young woman, who learned to sail during her family vacations and participated in her first student regattas during her studies at HEC, built her career offshore, at the same time as her companion, the sailor Tanguy Le Turquais – father of her daughter almost 2 years old. He himself is embarking on his first Vendée Globe this Sunday – an organizational challenge which does not frighten this outstanding competitor. Clarisse Crémer returns more determined than ever after a stormy year 2023, marked by the abandonment of her historic sponsor, Banque Populaire, following the announcement of her pregnancy. And by heavy accusations of cheating during the Transat Jacques Vabre – from which she has since been completely cleared, but which cost the athlete a lot. For this very special edition, she wanted to entrust Madame Figaro the exclusivity of his logbook, which you can find online throughout the crossing. We collected his last impressions, in the adrenaline of the preparations.
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Madame Figaro.- How do you feel a few hours before departure?
Clarisse Crémer.- It’s a moment that is both strange and unique, to find yourself just a few days away from a solo world tour. It's a long time, four months at sea. I'm of course quite stressed while being very happy to leave!
How did your preparation go for this second Vendée Globe?
It's a long process condensed into eighteen months around four transatlantic races, three solo and one double-handed. In July and August, my boat, which more than a tool is an adventure companion, was under construction and we spent a lot of time preparing it as best as possible in September. The qualification period allowed me to know him inside out but I think I still have a lot to discover about him in performance mode.
How do you approach the competition?
A solo world tour plunges you into very particular psychological and emotional states, quite addictive in fact, and which must be anticipated. After three weeks, something happens: we find ourselves in a state of extreme vulnerability to the elements, we abandon everything earthly that we kept within ourselves, we find ourselves between the wild and the human . We then learn a lot in record time: everything becomes simpler, even if the race remains very technical and complicated at the same time. There is the sea, the boat and yourself. Nothing else. It's quite instinctive: at the beginning you have to force yourself to find rituals, to have your eyes everywhere. The boat becomes an extension of oneself, as do the elements, even though one finds oneself in the most inhospitable place for man. I look forward to seeing this experience through to the end.
A solo trip around the world plunges you into very particular psychological and emotional states, quite addictive in fact.
Have you worked on your self-confidence a lot?
I don't think I have fundamentally changed, but I have taken advantage of recent adventures, of these strong events professionally and humanly, to rebuild myself on a different basis. I was accompanied by coaches, psychologists, practiced sophrology and hypnosis. I don't agree with the adage “what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.” Hard blows must be considered as such, some injuries are there for life and even if each time, we come out “increased”, it remains a learning experience… After what happened to me in 2023, I feel more armed, more aligned with my motivations.
Managing the care of your two-year-old daughter is a mental load that must be intense for you and your partner during the preparation. Can you tell us about it?
One sailor in the family is a lot, two is way too many! But it is also a privilege to be able to live our dream and lead our careers together. When there are two of us leaving, there is a double tension because everyone is doing their own race, but we also think about what is happening for each other and on the continent. From this point of view, we receive a lot of help from family, physical and logistical help, a lot of understanding in difficult times, and encouragement too, which allows us to move forward more peacefully. At home, Tanguy's little sister, Léna, plays the role of third parent and takes care of our daughter Mathilda when we are at sea. For a year and a half, this “au pair” as she calls herself- even, lives with us, and also works in his brother's technical team. It is a reassuring setting for Mathilda who spends her days with the childminder and finds the same person every evening and every weekend. Of course, we thought about setting up “break” periods where my mother will take over, during the holidays and certain weekends, so that Léna can breathe a little!
What advice do you draw from your experience that could be useful to our readers?
Sailing is a mentally difficult sport, because the danger and loneliness are constant. Uncertainty is the rule and we must move forward. Stay the course and remain calm, appreciate the beautiful lights and the speed of the boat, even if you don't have all the answers, even if anything can happen. We don't control everything on earth either and when I went through difficult situations, I activated the same levers: don't think, put one foot in front of the other. As long as we are not experiencing an absolute tragedy, it is always possible to cope.
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