Getting out of the Doldrums: done! Now it’s time for the final course decision to reach the finish line in about two weeks.
Alexia Barrier has finished with the Doldrums and its array of increasingly unstable conditions. Now the eagerness to set foot on solid ground and the fear of encountering humans “who scare me more than the mountains and the sea” is starting to race through her mind.“I’m so happy to be near the finish! The special effects guy can send wind, calm, storms, I don’t care! It smells like home, I try not to count the days too much, to avoid falling into impatience: the desire to arrive can be strong (…) It will soon be the end of the days, the sunsets, the color of the sky, the dance of the birds, my little life well-organized at my pace, that’s something I’ll miss, but it’ll be back in four years!”
Because during this first “discovery” participation, organized somewhat at the last minute, there is indeed a meticulous preparation hidden: “I spend my days when I don’t have the sails up, working on budgets, prospecting and planning for 2024. Obviously coming back with a performant boat. I know that my partners are very eager to continue the adventure by my side and we will have to find other partners to expand our fabulous crew around the values of 4myplanet. Finding a boat that fits our budget, we’re not, well I don’t know, but we’re not set to be a big project, and a big budget once again, but little by little we’re growing and having a more performant boat is clearly also a big motivation to finish this first Vendée Globe well and to give me confidence and plenty of energy. Yes, absolutely I will be present in 2024, that’s for sure.”
Before that, a week of close-quarter sailing is expected, and maybe a bit more if the wind doesn’t play its role at Cape Verde. The boat bounces, but no matter: the sailor keeps watch and she is only two weeks away from Les Sables d’Olonne. On land too, where these three months have been lived dry and in landlubber comfort conditions, people are starting to think that, soon, it will take four years to experience all this again. So let’s enjoy, yes, these last heroes still on the water. Let’s listen a bit more, follow the routes, chart courses, as long as there’s still time. Let’s ensure that we welcome these adventurers with a thousand merits right to the last one. And may this nostalgia be sweet.
