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Daily report, Monday
September 8th
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East Wind and square
edges:
an explosive cocktail
Position at 5H30 (Paris) :
10° 50 S / 106° 15 W
The wind shifted completely
to the East, the South is a "non wind area" with
an agitated sea: Raphaëla’s mission is to maintain
a straight line along the 11th parallel South. This drives
her crazy! "I let the board drift North during the
night, and as a result I no longer advance towards the West.
If it continues like this in 2 months I wont have budged an
inch"… She has almost had it, in this case
the only solution is diversion: "Raphaëla, an
old Breton admirer sends you her best wishes of courage".
"oh really, is this true?", The storm subsides
a little despite large black coulds that are still hoverin
in the morning. "I was in front and I had to hide
under the panel to avoid the rain, but everything is ok".
Raphaëla is a little worried
about the mediatization of the event "if during the
crossing nothing special occurs, people will be disappointed,
there wont be anything to tell.". Arounds the table
there is a silence, Claudine suggests a few small capsizings…
"Yes but at the same time when nothing happens during
the day, it is obviously a relief!". Also for us
but we don’t tell her.
She is happy with the meetings
we have set up for her during the week, “meetings
are great, they occupy my mind and I can avoid thinking…
"… We are supposed to react positively…
All in all, the day was a rough
one, surely the wind in her ears prevented Neptune from hearing
us. As a result she progressed "a good 25 knots during
the whole day" with a blue sea striped with white
sheep, under a great shining sun. "The sea was really
stormy , I made monstrous surfs at a speed of at least 10
knots. I made myself scared. Once in a while. I would look
behind and ooooooooh !". We look at each other across
the table. In the late morning, it continues to rise, Raphaëla
decides to eat outside, "I was rinced from heaad
to foot". There are other methods to put salt on
one’s food no?
After eating, she covers everything
and let’s the board drift for the remaining time, "too
large, I spent the afternoon hidden inside the board and of
course it was a sauna, uncomfortable …". Her
voice is a little trembling so I tell her what we had for
dinner.. "What matters, Raphaëla, is that even
if you are not here I eat noodles"! A crossing across
the ocean requires a high degree of abnegation. On ground
as well… We say goodbye on a more optimistic note, that
is all that counts.
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Crédit photos : Odyssée
du vent 2003 |
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