 |
Daily report, 22 september
(Paris)
<<<
- >>>
Vertigo
Position at 5H30 (Paris) :
10° 08 S / 119° 45 W
Pierre, Raphaëla’s
brother, is at the PC Friday afternoon, "Ok, Raphaëla,
you are on the right side of the hill now ". It’s
true but she wants to keep a cool and not get over excited,
"I still have a long way to go, let’s not get
too optimistic" (she repeats this over and over)…).
"I am storing full of great navigational memories.
I was frustrated at this level when I crossed the Atlantic.
Now I know it is possible to experience sheer navigational
pleasure". Pierre is reassured by the tone of her
voice, she is more serene than the last time he spoke with
her, that was the week-end of August 15."Yes but
then she was beginning the crossing. Now she is in the great
blue desert with just a few flying fish as companions. "I
wonder why they continue to fly, there are no more predators
after them", you see, a scientific mind never stops thinking.
"Once in while I think to myself that I would not mind
having a small lamp for the moment I dialogue with the stars."
Raphaëla, remember, the last time you came across a lamp
you almost drowned…
She watches her physical condition
very closely, "I apply Pierre-Yves Guillemot and
Hélène Chevreuil’s system, during the
day and at night I put Biafine and massage my body".
It only is at sea that she is willing to take care of her
"old body". Friday was a strange day . large clouds
in the morning and it poured. I had to cover myself under
the sail". A tropical day … "The temperature
of the air is 25°C but at night it is not very warm so
I put on a T-shirt or a sweater. I had supper with music but
I hate the speakers in my ears, they fall in my rice and they
hurt". Guy tried to install something of the quality
of the Opéra Bastille but he realized that the volumes
of the "room" could not be workable in relation
to the size of the speakers…
Saturday afternoon, Gabriela
engages a discussion with Raphaëla. Gabriela is the administrative
responsible of the team, without her input, the departure
from Perou would never have occurred. "You know,
Raphaëla you have fans all over Perou and in Argentine
". Remember the Bouillon Kub, Raphaëla’s
gustatory nirvana at the beginning of the crossing , well
that was one of Gabriela’s ideas ! "And the
goose barnacles, Raphaëla, do you eat them?". "NO
, I grind them out of rage into purée !".
Yesterday, the day was "super
calm, a nice sea with a calm wind . I navigated without realizing
it (you bet…) I forgot the hours. SO I started
thinking (I would have been surprised of the contrary)
of the meaning of life, what I am going to do afterwards
(oh dear, what lies in store?) what is going to happen
to us…". We stop de conversation, "the
drift is screwy, I’ve got to do something, Ill call
back".
Sunday afternoon, it’s
broadcasting time with all our friends from Pénestin
and Germany (no …they did not come especially for this)
at Philippe’s and Ariane’s. Lunch lasts latethere
are a few drinks that pass around, the festive atmosphere
at Pénestin, …We are sitting down around the
telephone, children are running all over, Philippe is doing
the dishes. Raphaëla’s voice is never very audible,
it does not matter everyone participates. Ariane is very worried
"Raphaëla, you lent me your vest but if you
come back too early I wont have the time to wear it, it is
still summer here…". Small Jules was crying
and suddenly he stops: "Hallo, Jules, do you hear
me?"
"…..did you see any sperm whales?"
He is red and very serious, finally he kisses the phone and
goes off running again . Jana is hardly more courageous, she
explains that she is learning about longitudes and latitudes.
Anne opened the champagne bottle when Raphaëla reached
the mid-crossing point "Well! At the PC in Paris
they did nothing!". Shit we are getting bawled out…
Everyone kisses, Raphaëla hangs up and we go for a coffee
in the garden. Meanwhile Raphaëla prepares for navigation,
she steps out of the bubble, closes it up as usual, and …
boom one of the handles remains in her hand. She is hardly
wearing anything, the only accessible thing is 5 liters water…
"I was swetting like crazy, it was my biggest fright!".
No tools except for Anne Henri’s dagger, but it was
too big. "Finally I passed a small bit through the
padlock hole and as I pulled, the handle let go from the inside".
Luckily the other handle was not locked… NO comment
about these panels that made us tremble during the Atlantic
crossing. "I was imagining myself inside the panel
trying to breakdown the partitions in order to have access
to the back. As a result, I spent the day ruminating with
a small wind of 5 to 10 knots, a bore ". From today
onwards, pliers, hammer, screwdriver are located in the central
panel and Guy explains to Raphaëla how, from the outside
, to burst open the piece that holds the handle from the inside.
There are multiple spare handle. The incident is over, I was
overwhelmingly hot, yet it is 6H00 et and the first day of
autumn.
 |
 |
Photo : Odyssée du vent
2003 |
|
|
