Justine Mettraux: “Since I left, I sleep four hours a day”

On the water, Justine Mettraux is not too vocal. “The connection is never obvious, we’re lucky there,” she confirms. Since leaving Sables d’Olonne on Sunday, the Geneva native has not spoken to anyone. “I prefer to respond to congratulations by message, it allows me to communicate when I really have the opportunity.” For us, while sailing off the Canary Islands, the skipper of TeamWork-Team SNEF recounts the start of her adventure, on the fifth day of her first Vendée Globe.

Justine, we were supposed to talk early Thursday morning. But you encountered complicated conditions, we were told. Nothing serious?

No no, it’s just that at the time of our meeting, it was daybreak. There were squalls and the wind was very unstable, both in strength and direction. So it wasn’t really the right time to talk to you (smile).

If we take a step back, since Sunday, how has this start of the adventure been going?

So far, it’s about what I expected. I’m in racing mode on the Atlantic but we have to keep in mind that the boat has to go around the world. I’m trying to find the right balance between going fast and not pulling too hard on him.

Going from the huge crowd before departure to the silence and solitude at sea, how do we manage that?

I mentally prepared myself for this. There were so many people near the pontoons before the start, it warmed my heart to see such enthusiasm from the public. Once we leave, we go into race mode. This transition is important but I think it happened quite naturally for me.

We saw the other two Swiss, Alan Roura and Oliver Heer, in tears as they said goodbye to their loved ones. Not you.

There was a lot of emotion at that moment. But I didn’t want to show sadness. I wanted him to be happy to see me take on this challenge, not for it to cause worry. So before getting on the boat, I pulled myself together. Because this is not the image I wanted to leave with my loved ones.

While preparing for this interview, we read that people in the industry, your peers, nicknamed you the “machine”. For what?

I think it’s because when I’m on a boat, I’m a fighter. I’m not giving up. Or perhaps in relation to the commitment I put into my projects. But I assure you, I am not a machine (laughs). I make mistakes sometimes and I certainly have since I left. It’s part of the game, I’m learning.

The Vendée Globe is an adventure full of uncertainties. Is it difficult not to have control over that?

No, I see it more as a challenge that must be taken up. I try to take the race in sections, it takes away the apprehension and allows me to progress little by little. In the Vendée, we know that things can stop overnight, if there is an accident or a technical problem. So I try to take it one day at a time.

Justine Mettraux working on her boat, in the middle of the water, what does it look like?

I listen, I analyze but above all I try to take time to get to the right place. Once I’m clear on where I want to go, that’s where I go quickly, often. When we doubt, when we are not sure of our strategy, this is often when we navigate less well.

Since Sunday, how long have you slept?

I would say four hours a day. It’s broken sleep, little naps. We had quite strong conditions after the start, with a lot of maneuvers. It will calm down, with this long edge to descend towards the Doldrums. We risk rolling out a little more so this will allow us to take a little more rest. Afterwards, even if we lie down, we can’t always sleep. It takes a few days to get into the race and into its rhythm. But for the past 48 hours, every time I go to bed, I go straight to sleep. This allows you to recover more efficiently.

When you are not alert or asleep, do you take the time to clear your mind?

Let’s just say I haven’t had the time yet (smile). I eat, I take the time to respond to the congratulations. There have been a lot of things to do since the start: jibes, sail changes, a lot of strategy. And it’s true that I use downtime mainly to rest. But I hope that will come later, the hobbies.

What are you planning to do?

I picked up a lot of things to listen to, especially music. A friend prepared some playlists for me. My brother-in-law made me audio books, I have an e-reader and podcasts.

On Thursday, you were 10th after taking an option further north than some competitors. Is the feeling good?

Yes, I don’t think much will happen in the next few days. The top 10 chose the same route to descend towards the Doldrums. Maybe those behind will come back a little. But we shouldn’t have too much wind this weekend.

With all the decisions you have to make based on the upcoming weather, doesn’t it feel like you’re playing poker all the time?

Yes, but I think I would rather compare it to chess, because it’s more intellectual. Our decisions are more thoughtful, even if it is not always easy to make them when we are tired. You have to be able to read the situations. Sometimes, the choices are obvious because we have few options. And if we have several, we must take into account the probability.

Justine, what are you going to do instantly after you hang up?

I have my olive oil that spilled a little in the boat so I need to finish cleaning it up (she bursts out laughing). It’s a great product that one of my preparers brought me back from Spain but it wasn’t very waterproof and I lost part of it. But I’ll get over it.