While the leader Charlie Dalin is expected to reach the Cape of Good Hope within the next 48 hours, behind him, the journey down the Brazilian coast continues peacefully for TSE-4myplanet.
2,500 miles behind the race leader, the sea is rather calm for the moment. This gives Alexia Barrier a chance to take some time for herself and, above all, fix some small issues before entering a new phase of the race, heading towards the tip of South Africa.
After having a reefing line (which allows sail reduction) get stuck and performing acrobatics at night to free it, the Maralpine treated herself to a little bath in her cockpit: “Yesterday I took the opportunity to plug the water drainage holes and treated myself to a bath for 5 minutes. There was a significant amount of water in the cockpit and I thought as long as there is water, I might as well enjoy it,” said the skipper of TSE-4myplanet, who takes each new event with philosophy. “The Doldrums and the start of the trade winds were quite exhausting, but for the past two days, I’ve been able to sleep well. The wind is more consistent, the boat is moving, and I can rest, eat well, I can stand up in the boat which wasn’t the case two days ago because it was too rough, it was complicated to cook or even relax, and it’s very pleasant.”
An appreciated pause in such a long solo race, which must be enjoyed to the fullest while anticipating the challenges ahead. After having completed almost a quarter of the race, equivalent to the average distance of the offshore races Alexia has participated in before, one must learn to listen to their body and conserve energy to endure the long haul.
Speaking of the long haul, Alexia Barrier still has a little over 38,000 km left to return to dry land.
