HASOn the other end of the phone, the waves of the Bay of Biscay lash the hull of the BecomeViolette Dorange’s 18 meter monohull (Imoca), and we can hear the creaks and squeaks of this robust carbon frame as if we were on board. On Monday, November 11, after about thirty-six hours of racing, the cheerful voice of the 23-year-old sailor, the youngest of the forty participants in the tenth edition of the Vendée Globe, does not deceive.
The excitement of the game absorbed, has clearly passed into “career mode” and enjoy. “I cried when I heard the breath as we turned up the channel., But they were tears of joy, and I immediately got back into my bubble.”relates. “I have been doing mental preparation for years, so I anticipated, continues the young sailor. To avoid collapsing on the big day, I had worked out this phase in advance by visualizing it. »
Thanks to the climatic conditions, abnormally bright for the season and unfavorable for frustrating – equipped with lateral appendages that allow them to rise above the water – she and her straight-finned steed, one of the oldest in the fleet (launched in 2007), are even offered the ephemeral luxury of a second place in the provisional classification. the afternoon of the first day of navigation.
“The road is still long”
If Violette Dorange thinks it was then “a little conservative” in your choice of candles while remaining “undercovered” To avoid any material damage, nothing so far that affects his good mood.
“This brought me back to the center of the fleet and the first centerboard boats left me 20 miles away, but the road is still long, I haven’t sailed alone since the New York-Vendée transatlantic race. [en mai], and in the round-the-world configuration we have a lot more weight on board, so I take the time to adjust the cursor.”, explains, in the middle of a weapons vigil, who pointed out in 26my position, on Monday, in the ranking at 7:00 p.m.
During the night of Monday, November 11 to Tuesday, November 12, like the bulk of the fleet, Violette Dorange will have to negotiate the thorny Cape Finisterre pass, before turning left to enter the Atlantic. And the surroundings of the arid headland on the Galician coast promise to live up to its reputation.
“The wind is starting to pick up and I remain focused and alert because we are entering a delicate phase”describes the young skipper, while the meteorological archives announce 30 knots of wind (between 50 and 60 kilometers/hour), 40 knots in gusts and a wave of one to two meters. “It is a dangerous place and where ships break, where you are often surprised by the wind that blows suddenly, there is real acceleration with the mountains and you also have to be careful with cargo ships in daylight saving time. [dispositif de séparation de trafic] »concludes.
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