Charline, Maxime Sorel’s little sister, agreed to give us the letter that she slipped into her brother’s boat so that he would discover it a few minutes before departure.
“Besides,
I am writing these few lines two days before leaving for a world tour, your world tour. My thoughts oscillate between fear of seeing you leave for months to face such powerful elements in such a small machine and pride in knowing you are at the start of this legendary race.
Perhaps out of denial and more certainly out of protection, I try not to imagine all the dangers you will have to face. How can a Man leave alone in this immensity of the globe whose grandeur we cannot even imagine?
If there is one human being capable of this, it’s you! Since my earliest memories, you have always been so strong and talented and at the same time so tender and sensitive. It’s not for nothing that you manage to become one with this pretty dragon. Your ingenuity and perseverance make you a person who never gives up and God knows what you have to sacrifice to find yourself where you are today. I think there’s one thing that makes me fantasize, it’s your ability to shape your mind through your passions, but also to take people on board and make them dream with you for a few moments.
I think deep down, I’ve always dreaded this moment. It’s such a wonderful moment and at the same time so complicated to live through. So many paradoxes inhabit us on this day of departure. Tears flow, but smiles pierce them. Your dream is coming true, but my fear is growing.
Here you are embarked for more than 1700 hours alone in your carbon box. You who on earth enjoy life to the fullest, you must now slow down, live to the rhythm of what the elements and this fiery companion will dictate to you. Because the life of one depends on the existence of the other. Not so lonely our sailor…
While we’re comfortably seated on our couch, you’re working tirelessly to make sure you move forward. Moving forward, always moving forward, never stagnating and even less going backwards, that characterizes you so well.
Even if I have full confidence in your abilities and your unfailing lucidity, the fact remains that for weeks, we will live to the rhythm of your news.
It’s similar to expecting a child… I feel reassured by an ultrasound, but the next second I’m afraid again. It is the same with race mapping. So I cling to a few factual elements: seeing you moving forward and in the right direction… Definitely, I will only be fully reassured when you cross this line. Because yes, it cannot be otherwise. I’ll be waiting for you on arrival!
Your sister”
>> Vendée Globe 2024: “Your dream is coming true, but my fear is growing”, the touching letter from Maxime Sorel’s sister to her skipper brother before the departure
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