Thursday 11th December 2008
Thinking of Loïck
In a message received this Thursday morning, Thomas shared his true feelings
with us as ever. In just a handful of words, the skipper of Sodeb'O
translates the sentiments which are his driving force during the so dreaded
Indian Ocean crossing. He also shares the difficulty of the incident
suffered by Loïck Peyron, in which Gitana Eighty dismasted yesterday, after
31 days of racing in the Vendée Globe.
“50°46 South 88°12 East,
I’m making headway again but my stomach’s been so knotted up for several
hours that I can’t sleep or eat and I hold my breath every ten seconds. I
have two massive weights pressing on my temples and making my stomach tight:
I’m crossing a zone of transition which appeared so simple and so short on
the chart in view of the whole course I have to cover, and yet I haven’t
really been living since then because every wave has been accompanied by the
swell which is hitting the boat head on. The boat is going fast as the wind
angle is perfect, but slowing her down has become difficult as she can be
carried along in very little wind in this configuration. As such she lifts
up and lands with all her momentum and all her weight. The sound is
indescribable and the resonance spreads all the way to the ends of my limbs.
I clench my teeth, increasingly hard each time, and I tense up like a bow.
This continues till the next one hits, and that goes on for hours and
already hours have passed in this state. It’s insistent and wearing but you
have to make headway so you make headway, it’s as simple as that.
Too sensitive you say of me! Some people think it and maybe it’s true, but
this episode would be rather banal without the emotion that took over me
yesterday on learning of the dismasting of Gitana 80 off the Crozet Islands.
This news has echoed around my mind since then. Primarily because it reminds
me of what I’m experiencing at the moment and I can’t stop myself from
wondering: am I the next on the list? You look at the chart and you can
imagine the scene. All around you is a hostile desert. You fell where you
shouldn’t have and it’ll take a long time to get back and it’ll be difficult
and maybe perilous. It’s this reality we’re all experiencing right now on a
daily basis and it doesn’t only happen to the others!
The moment of selfishness has passed. I turn back as if I can see him coming
out of the eternal mists of this region and I think of him. I think of Loïck
contemplating the extent of the damage with the lucidity which is specific
to him. Very quickly he knows what’s what. He will draw up an inventory of
what remains to be sorted out and will ensure he comes out of this. If
you’re there when he arrives, you’ll see, even his jury rig will be an
ingenious work of art.
Right now though, years and years of effort, experience and knowledge have
crumbled away. Nobody else but him (and his whole team) can imagine, the
sheer number of ideas accumulated and the number of details which were
embarked aboard. A goldmine of contemplation and genius was still sailing a
few hours ago. Gitana 80 (like Fujifilm) was doubtless one of the most
accomplished boats of this Vendée Globe fleet. Hours and years of
accumulated skills got her to the front of this ultimate race.
It’s this knot in my stomach that is right at my very core and is crying out
in anger at this injustice. In the end this is what our round the world
dreams cling to. Fleeting and so irrational, though sometimes a whole
lifetime is devoted to it. There is a price to pay to be free and cherish
the sea and at times it is too heavy for man alone.
I’m making headway and I’m continuing.
I have a knot at the core of me, which turns with each wave as I think of
Loïck.
See you soon, Tom”
Sodeb’O’s deficit on the current record holder dropped below 1,000 miles on
Wednesday. Stampeding through the middle of the Indian Ocean, Thomas has
been linking together days at an average speed of over 23 knots. After
Kerguelen, the skipper dropped down to 50 degrees South and is currently
traversing a transition in the weather where the wind has eased slightly as
it shifts round to the West. However, the weather conditions will become
feistier again on Friday night as the Maxi Trimaran approaches Cape Leeuwin,
to the south of Australia.
AUDIO, VIDEO, IMAGES AND CARTOGRAPHY ACCESSIBLE FROM THE press zone on the
site www.sodebo-voile.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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