PRESS RELEASE
Sunday 28th May 2006

Capsizing at night reminds us
that nothing can be taken for granted

and that there's still some way to go:
670 nautical miles to the finishing line.

CAPSIZING: It was 4 o'clock in the morning for Raphaëla, fast asleep and securely installed inside her board, when suddenly it turned on its side then turned right over. The world looked upside down in the tiny "cell" that has sheltered the sportswoman for the last 49 days on this rough crossing. Raphaëla knows that, "You always have to be on the lookout", and the Indian Ocean has reminded her of that in its own way, with a tip-up.

The windsurf was rigged in "night mode", equipped with a small mast (1,20m) to which are fixed a flashing light, the active-echo (for cargo ships' radars) and a piece of polystyrene (to help right the board in case of capsizing). In spite of this safety equipment, the board remained on its roof. All the tests had, so far, met with success. After a moment's questioning, Raphaëla realized that nothing was happening so she decided to launch the procedure to inflate her air bag. This cylindrically-shaped bag, located at the rear of the windsurf, was perfected by the European Space Agency, in collaboration with the architect Guy Saillard in 2002, after Raphaëla's Mediterranean crossing.

After just a few minutes, by which time the bag was half-inflated, the board righted itself. The operation had worked perfectly. The Breton woman had just had a fright but was not injured. This unexplained capsizing caused quite a mess inside her living quarters, in addition to the loss of all her fresh water supplies (from 5 to 8 litres). The most problematic thing now is to make enough fresh water using the water-maker, which entails a great amount of energy consumption for today.

During the 5 a.m. phone link, Raphaëla calmly said, " I don't know how it happened. The sea wasn't rougher than usual, maybe even calmer." Her team has to a guess, since we don't have any precise information, as Raphaëla cut the call short so she could finish sorting out the board. Perhaps the board was drifting and was caught sideways on by a wave that was higher than the others, pushing the board onto its side, beyond the balancing position. Maybe this movement lasted a short while and then there weren't enough high waves to set the board upright again. The main thing is that the air bag did its job properly.

Photos made before the start
(Jean-Marie Liot - Marcel Mochet)

INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVE: before passing the finishing line, fixed at the level of the town of Saint Denis, Raphaëla's present objective is the way point fixed by Jean François Bonnin to the south-west of Rodrigue Island. This way point is also the point where she will meet the patrol boat "La Rieuse". With Lieutenant Commander Ouk in charge, this French navy boat should cast off its moorings from the naval base at Le Port (on the west of the island) on Tuesday 30th May with Cyril Ducrot, her technical supervisor, and a French TV (TF1) cameraman on board. This meeting will be the opportunity to take some video footage of the adventuress, one week before she arrives. This is an appointment that Raphaëla has long been waiting for, with quite some emotion, as this event will be the first sign that land is not too far off.

WEATHER FORECAST: at 6a.m. GMT on Sunday morning and 680 nautical miles from the finish, Raphaëla was settled in the somewhat high trade winds. For the moment, her weather router cannot "see" anything special coming in the next few days, but the Indian Ocean is so unpredictable that we cannot be sure of that.

The crossing - Sunday's figures (8 a.m. French time):
Length of the direct route: 3300 nautical miles (6111 km)
Distance covered since departure: 1811 nautical miles (3353 km)
Distance left to cover: 667 nautical miles via the way point south of Rodrigue Island
ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) near Reunion Island: around 7-8 June (depending on future weather)
Town of arrival on Reunion Island: Le Port (Pointe des Galets)
Finishing line (probably opposite the town of Saint Denis – North of the island)

To see her position on the map, click here

Race HQ: You can come and talk to Raphaëla via her Iridium satellite telephone. A daily call is organized (from Monday to Friday). Race HQ is open to the press and the public, and is based at C.A.P.E (Foreign press reception centre), its faithful partner, inside the Maison de Radio France. France Inter has installed the technical equipment to listen to the lady windsurfer in real time, in the best possible conditions. (only in French)

To listen to today's phone call (only in French), click here

Throughout the crossing, via the teaching kit, pupils will be able to discover many topics that mark the Breton lady's voyage, by surfing on the especially dedicated website: www.respectocean.com

Photos and video images of Raphaëla le Gouvello surfing are available on request. Contact us.