SPORT
/ WINDSURF
Press release N°27 - tuesday 23 september 2003
RAPHAELA
LE GOUVELLO
Solitary crossing of the Pacific
«I
was in a cold sweat…
it was the scariest moment of the crossing!»
By the island of Pitcairn, there is a depression. Raphaëla
le Gouvello is requested to stay aligned to the 10th parallel for security
reasons.
The weather forecast is constantly changing and the technical team keeps Raphaella regularly updated. This technical information on weather conditions, the state of the surfboard and the way it reacts to water, are the main topics of our conversations.
Not to be too excessively optimistic is essential to keep in mind…Today Friday 19 September was a day like many others for Raphaëla : the wind was regular in the morning and rose in the early afternoon. That day however she received the visit of a few aquatic specimens from the great blue desert.
«Around 15h00 the wind rose and I was navigating in the setting sun. I was advancing 5 or 6 knots when suddenly four dolphins appeared. They played for 1.2 hour in front of the stern».
For Raphaëla this was a magical moment.
Raphaëla le Gouvello appears to be in perfect physical condition,
her weight has not changed, and she is absorbing her daily 2800 calories.
She is fully aware that the end of the trip will be the hardest on her
organism to bear after a few weeks at sea so following the nutrionist’s
advice very closely is essential to her.
When the second part of the trip is mentioned, Raphaëla le Gouvello
responds with these words: «there is a long way to go. I am
making a point ot storing many wonderful memories of this trip so as not
to be frustrated as when I was on the Atlantic»
She remains alone in this immense blue desert, Raphaëla admits
that oncein a while she dreams of « seeing a small light at night
to break the pattern of talking to stars.
There are heavy tropical rains during the day that is
nevertheless inundated with sunshine. Raphaëla le Gouvello navigates
without realizing it, the hours just go by…Saturday exemplified
this: « friendly sea with calm wind ». Optimal conditions
according to Raphaëla to think about the present and the future…
Sunday, as she prepared her navigation, Raphaëla le Gouvello received
a «her biggest fright so far! ».
As she was stepping out of the board through the bubble, she realized
that one of the handles had remained in her hand. She panicked to begin
with and then came up with a plan that consisted in using the only instrument
on board that could be of assistance to her: a dagger
«finally I passed a small part in the hole that serves as padlock,
and as I pulled the handle gave way finally from the inside.»
More frightened than hurt, the effects of this incidence could have been dramatic.
Raphaëla was positioned today at 12h30
par 10°03 SOUTH / 120°41 WEST.
Distance covered in the last 24h : 55 nautical miles
Total distance covered since Lima : 2688 nautical miles
Distance to cover until the passage point at Tuamotu : 1290 nautical miles
Distance to cover until Papeete : 1747 nautical miles
The transmissions at the Maison de Radio France take place every working
day at 17H30.
Summary of Raphaella’s crossing these past few days :
- 2000 : crossing the Atlantic.
- 2002 : Crossing the Mediterranean
- 2003 : Crossing the Pacific, current
News of Raphaëla le Gouvello will be communicated Friday September
26 .
Follow
current events pertainting to Raphaëla Le Gouvello on her Internet
site:
(www.raphaela-legouvello.com)
Management and Administration of the Sports Event-
press :
Agence HICKORY
32, rue du Faubourg Poissonnière 75010 Paris
Project Manager:
Arnaud PARSAL-tel: 01 56 03 69 13 - email: sportsoutdoor@hickory.fr
Manager :
Anne COMBIER tel: 01 56 03 69 00 - mob: 06 07 69 23 63
email: annec@hickory.fr
Contact press TF1 :
Laurent PETIT tel : 01 41 41 29 59 - email: lpetit@tf1.fr
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