We were able to speak to the sailor as she passed Tasmania, marking the halfway point of the Vendée Globe race. She has now just entered the Pacific, a symbolic step in a world tour which, despite some setbacks, is going wonderfully.
A lot can happen in two weeks when sailing in the South Seas. Since we left Clarisse Crémer in the middle of the Atlantic, she has crossed the Cape of Good Hope, passed the Kerguelens, encountered albatross, experienced some mechanical setbacks… “I’m doing well, even if I’m starting to feel a little tired after more than a month at sea,” explains our heroine (1), who has been in very good twelfth position for some time.
We manage to reach her on WhatsApp as she comes out of a maneuver in the middle of the Indian Ocean: a few minutes suspended with her, with the wind as her traveling companion.
Madame Figaro.- On D33 (i.e. December 13, date on which we speak to him, Editor’s note) how is the race going?
Clarisse Crémer: I’m doing very well, especially since I’m in a pretty nice group, with Boris Herrmann (number 10), Justine Mettraux (number 11) and Samantha Davies (n°13). I don’t have the impression of being alone, which can be reassuring when we go along the Kerguelen! Having your competitors right next to you is stimulating. We have very similar boats, with the same weather analysis tools, the same background: this encourages us to change the sails more often and more quickly, to push on the settings. I had a fairly serious problem with my foil (these little wings that allow boats to “fly”, Editor’s note) but for now it doesn’t affect me too much. In any case, we learn at sea to live with a sword of Damocles. So far it’s holding up, so so good!
You had some big scares…
Yes, terrifying things still happen. I had a problem with my rudder, my electrical system which I completely lost, and then my foil cylinder as I entered the Indian Ocean and its beautiful waves. I couldn’t repair it but just blocked the foil. Last night, for a few hours, it was debilitating, for example. But we adapt!
…but also little joys? Have you found krill and shellfish on your boat for example?
Yes! I saw lots of albatross, for a while, it made me happy. And then on board, the little joys quickly become great joys: just before the interview, I installed a beautiful sail that I really like because with it, the boat glides quickly. It was a real joy to see it inflate and feel the boat benefit from it.
As we speak, you have passed Cape Leeuwin, off the coast of Australia, after having passed the Cape of Good Hope and the Kerguelens. Are we aware of space when we move so quickly on a flat, blue surface?
It’s very strange, it’s hard to realize where we are. This is why I would have liked to see the Kerguelen Islands, precisely, on the horizon. It’s improbable, even absurd, to be so far away and not stop in Australia or these magnificent places. It’s still magical to sail around the world, even when you’ve already done it in the past: it’s always hard to believe it.
It’s magical to sail around the world, even when you’ve done it before: it’s still hard to believe it
You have great energy, as can be seen in the videos you share throughout the race. Do you have time to take care of yourself a little bit?
To be honest I absolutely don’t have the physical or mental space to think about it! I changed yesterday for the first time in ten days, I took the opportunity to do without moisturizing hand cream and put on deodorant. For the first time in a while, I didn’t smell like fennec foxes! For my hair, the problem is that if I shampoo (I’ve done it once since the beginning), I then have to detangle and it’s too much work. So I apply oil, remove a few knots and make a bun that will last for a while.
Your sponsor, L’Occitane, told us about the Power Nap treatment, a 3-step massage kit that they provided you with, which allows you to gain the effect of a nap in just a few minutes. Do you have time to self-massage, for example?
No, I don’t have time to follow this entire treatment. But I practice certain elements of the protocol, like energizing breathing – a concept that speaks to me a lot. When I have barely fifteen minutes to rest, I lie down and try to create a ritual for myself, an airlock where I breathe: I only concentrate on my body, trying to forget the noises. of the boat. It’s unpretentious but very effective!
Many of us follow the race on the Vendée Globe website or on Virtual Regatta. It feels good when the rest of the world is doing badly. At sea, are we totally disconnected from current events?
At the moment, I don’t have access to social networks, just the Vendée Globe website and that of a major daily newspaper to which I like to connect, even if the news is not always friendly in fact. Here again, being alone at sea multiplies the emotions: the fall of Bashar al-Assad, for example, I cried my eyes out!
(1) I’m going but I’m afraid, diary of a sailorby Clarisse Crémer and Maud Bénézit, Éditions Delcourt, 25.50 euros.
