Arnaud Dorange sleeps well, “at least for now”. Things will perhaps change as the storms increase and put his daughter Violette, 23, the youngest in the Vendée Globe, in difficulty. Having seen her leave for this extraordinary three-month adventure gives him a feeling of pride accompanied by constant vigilance. “I worked a lot with her beforehand to come to terms with the fact that she was leavingassures the skipper’s father. She told me that she didn't want her whole family to be under constant stress. » “If she had to make her family suffer, she would not have gotten involved in this, he continues. But there was a form of deal: given that we had introduced her to the world of sailing, and that she had taken a liking to it, she had to accept responsibility and not be a pitfall. »
“Sea water in the blood”
This desire, undoubtedly a little crazy, to tackle the Everest of the seas pushes sailors to leave their loved ones behind, with all the questions and worries that their departure raises. But the call of the sea generally takes over for these offshore adventurers. “When I met him, he had just stopped running and mini-transats”remembers Céline Cornic, referring to her husband, Antoine Cornic, who has been absent from the marital home since November 10. “They say that the sea calls back its sailors. I knew he missed it. The thinking went on and I couldn't see myself stopping him from making his dream come true. »
“The hardest part is not leaving the children, it’s the mental load that we generally leave to the mother”smiles the Swiss Alan Roura. “On land, I am a very present dad, but at sea I only think about racing, I also live for that. » Aware of having a “wonderful woman”the 31-year-old sailor also believes that we don't talk enough about those who remain on land. “They also do a Vendée Globe in their own wayhe explains. We do videos every week to keep this link and keep the adventure alive, it's important. »
“It always surprises a little, but I have never had any apprehension when he goes to sea”assures Anne Le Cam, wife and lifelong partner of “King Jean” Le Cam. “It’s actually a huge relief”she describes without flinching. “That means we succeeded in setting up the project. It's a long, tiring process and seeing it go is satisfying. » For the experienced wife of the man who has now won six Vendée Globes, nothing can curb the appetite for adventure that distinguishes these sailors. “They are passionateshe explains. They tend towards a goal and when we support them, it is with full knowledge of the facts, it is a life choice that we assume. » Jacqueline Tabarly also said of them: “ It's sea water flowing through their veins. »
Danger, omnipresent
However, it is difficult not to think of the risks taken by these adventurers during an offshore race. The lack of assistance and the shipwrecks observed during previous editions sometimes haunt the daily lives of those remaining at the dock. “Honestly, I don’t know anything about sailing, s’amuse Céline Cornic. Maybe this lack of knowledge helps me not to have anxiety. On the other hand, one thing is clear between us: when there is a problem, I want to be the first to know. »
As her husband's land contact, Anne Le Cam remains the main contact in the event of a major problem. A role that she claims, especially since a painful episode that she keeps in memory, when during the 2008 edition and when Jean Le Cam's boat overturned, she could not be the first to inform his daughters. “I knew it since the night and when I took them to school in the morning I told them: 'You don't listen to anyone but me.' I was waiting to know more to tell them what it really was. » In the evening, while picking up her children, she learned that the school director had authorized a journalist to come to the establishment. He will inform the young girls of this, without the usual precautions. “I was green with rage.Generally speaking, people like drama. For me it's the opposite, I've always said that there's no point in crying before you're in pain. »
Alan Roura is a bit terse on the subject: “With my partner, we evaluated several scenarios and in particular the one where I will not return, he whispers. This is not a taboo subject and we are very clear on this. We know that things can happen. »
The omnipresent danger, loved ones try in their own way to ignore it, claiming the trust placed in their loved one. “Violet may seem like a young sailor with no experience, says his father Arnaudbut I know what it's worth. She knows that she will suffer, that she will have moments of fatigue. There are risks, but there are risks in everyday lifehe insists. We cannot keep our children under confinement. »
“Suddenly I no longer have a family, no more children”
The fact remains that after more than a month at sea, the absence of fathers and mothers, in particular, is felt. As the end-of-year holidays approach, Céline Cornic admits half-heartedly “a little pang in the heart”, “It’s going to feel weird. He's also not going to be there for his son's 18th birthday, but as the latter says so well, it's going to be four years since he's been there for his birthdays! »
Éric Bellion, entered for his second Vendée Globe, confides that he spent the first 72 hours of racing in ” warrior “. “In the first days, I transform. Suddenly I no longer have a family, no more children, I only concentrate on the sea, because otherwise the temptation to turn back is too strong. »
Since his first Vendée Globe in 2016, the birth of his daughter Léna, born at the end of 2023, has added spice to his life as a sailor. “As soon as I think about it, I get extremely moved. Obviously I won't be able to make up for these three months at sea with my daughter, he explains, and at the same time, I will stock up on lessons and memories that I will tell him throughout his life. »
For the navigator, the mere presence of parents is not enough for the child's development. “There is also what their parents achieve, which is important for their personal development”. If his wife, coming from a family of sailors, “it’s in the blood” and understands his need to sail to the heart of the oceans, for his mother, more foreign to this world, “it’s hard” he confides. “She’s in pain, she’s trembling… but she’s getting used too. »
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