:
The wounds of the “Penguin” take a long time to heal. This old sea wolf has certainly weathered other storms, but we must continue to pamper him to continue the adventure in the best conditions.
After 55 days at sea, Alexia Barrier has just passed Tasmania, more than 5,000 nautical miles behind the race leaders. This is anecdotal, as the goal is not to compete for the top spots. Nonetheless, while we often talk about the front of the race and the battle for the podium, at the back, risks are also sometimes taken to achieve maximum speed and compete with other more or less performing boats.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. This time, TSE-4myplanet was very lucky not to see its race end on Christmas Eve. Now, its “captain” continues to take care of it as if it were her own child, or rather a 22-year-old teenager, who sometimes acts up. Ensuring the backstay holds, the mast doesn’t show new signs of fatigue, fixing the hydro-generator… and especially maintaining the equipment to avoid other unpleasant surprises.
With all that, one must not forget to take care of oneself. This is where all the preparation work on land comes into play. “In every food bag, I have a little surprise, and since I entered the Indian Ocean, I draw a photo from a pack of 50 each day. It allows me to escape a little by thinking about what it symbolizes for me. You find comfort where you can, it isn’t fun every day, there are even difficult moments. I take every little thing that can make me smile. I obviously have music, and this morning I was so happy to have hoisted my gennaker that I spent fifteen minutes dancing. At some point, I told myself I needed to calm down to save energy for lowering it later,” laughs Alexia, who has been revitalized since the new year began.
In any case, one thing is certain, she will need all the strength and positive vibes she can muster to fulfill her dream and reach Les Sables d’Olonne in about forty days or a little more, there’s no rush!
