The four skippers still competing since Clément Giraud’s arrival have crossed the symbolic mark of 100 days spent at sea. Now, it’s a mental challenge to finish this ninth edition of the Vendée Globe, which has pushed sailors and their machines to the limits.
Since yesterday, Alexia Barrier has been dealing with persistent back pain following a fall backward onto an exposed pipe in her cabin. More fear than harm, although she could have done without this physical issue, which will handicap her for a few days, particularly during maneuvers. “I know many are worried after my fall, and I thank you for your messages, your encouragement, your thoughts, your energy… it works, I’m in good spirits, I’m less than 2,500 miles from the finish, and that’s all I’m thinking about,” Alexia recounts, her eyes filled with emotion.
This adventure has been eventful, from preparing the boat “in moped mode” to the arrival, which promises to be a moment that will remain etched in the memories of the entire team: “It has been 100 days that I have been at sea, I have sailed giving everything I could with no regrets. Only two months before the start of the Vendée Globe, we had to change the keel of the boat. With seven sails instead of eight, some old and some new, I set off to sail around the world by the three capes. Partners, such as Biotronik, the Alpes-Maritimes Department, and the members of the Club 4myplanet, have supported the project from the start in 2018. And then this incredible surprise, in August, TSE called us to become a co-title partner and allowed us to prepare the boat three months before departure. It makes you realize nothing is impossible! We signed the partnership with TSE in this completely ‘crazy’ pandemic context, without knowing each other, without meeting in person, and when I set foot on the dock of Les Sables d’Olonne for the first time, I will meet my title sponsor! I am really looking forward to thanking them from the bottom of my heart.”
All that’s left is to grit our teeth and finally close the loop!
