Saved by Jean Le Cam. Symbolically, eight years ago, it was PRB who came to the aid of the fleet’s elder. A just turn of events that ultimately moved the sailors of the Vendée Globe, as Alexia Barrier recounts in a message filled with emotions.
“It was quite a night, I went to bed with my phone next to me, I checked my emails all through the night. I spoke a lot to Kevin Escoffier, telling him to hang in there, even though I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do. I was completely absorbed. Despite his misfortune, he was lucky to have people around him. I know the expertise of the Race Management in organizing all this. I was worried, but I reassured myself with the full moon and the fact that Jean Le Cam had spotted him.
The night was intense. Psychologically, I put a lot of energy into Kevin. Sailing under three reefs and using the engine to search for a raft among the waves is never easy. Boris Herrmann, Yannick Bestaven, and Sebastien Simon must also be extremely exhausted. Yesterday, I told myself we were in the ‘real’ Vendée Globe. It’s obviously a race, but above all, it’s a story of solidarity. When I saw Kevin in his raft, Alex Thomson giving up, damage here and there, I thought we were in it… As we tackle the great South, we enter the heart of the Vendée Globe. I’m happy to sail with Miranda and Clément Giraud. Of course, I want to beat them, but it reassures me to arrive in the South with them.”
The small group of three IMOCA continues on their journey with the Cape of Good Hope in sight, just over 2,500 nautical miles away. From now on, they’ll need to exercise caution before once again depleting the energy accumulated over five days in the gentle southern Trade Winds. Watch out for depressions that can prove fatal, as Kevin Escoffier can confirm.
