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Daily report, 26 september
(Paris)
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Oceanic conversations
Position at 6H30 (Paris) :
10° 00 S / 122° 33 W
The wind is slowing down, tension
rises. 6H of navigation, 18 nautical miles covered. An
average speed of 3 knots approximately? And 3 knots
is not negligible, although it cant be qualified as PETOLE.
«ok , it’s true it’s not a sea of glass
like the Mediteranean was last year. A small swell of wind
is always present but everything is quiet». Raphaëla
is worried, the physical well being is essential but her mind
works better when there is wind, when at night she is satisfied
with the amount of nautical miles that have been covered,
she can forget about the rest…
Catherine Chabaud came to visit
the Pc yesterday afternoon. "Raphaëla, I really
envy you, I would love to be at your place even though it
is really tough". Catherine knows what she is talking
about. Raphaëla is moved.
- "At the moment I am sitting under the bubble and
I am looking at the stem that is advancing very slowly, the
drift is at 0,5 knots. When I woke up there was a large
black cloud and a few drops of water, it does refresh the
atmosphere…".
- "Yes these are clouds that one welcomes and fear at
the same time… Is the sea very different from you r
experience on the Atlantic ?"
- "Yes…yes and no. The type of sea is different
but not fundamentally, but you know my experience is limited
(well, not everyone has covered 6000 nautical miles
on a surfboard… ). I see cotton type clouds, a blue
sea and at night the sky is filled with stars, I have the
impression I see more than on the Atlantic".
- "I know I should really profit by this experience yet
at the same time I have the feeling I am at the school of
patience… If I waste time, the risk of breaking down
increases. To advance, advance that is my motto for the small
motor that is switched on every morning".
- "Raphaëla, seen from the outside, it appears to
us that you are far more in control now than when you crossed
the Atlantic. It’s a fabulous crossing you are making".
- "You see crossing the Atlantic was always a child’s
dream. I was naïve about everything. And then there was
the Mediteranean episode that helped me attain the adolescent
stage. The Pacific is a greater maturing experience where
we all put our hearts and knowledge to make this work in the
best conditions".
Raphaëla continues to
unroll her navigation map "from the Perou side and
not yet on the Tahiti side". She is waiting to go
down and sets intermediary objective for herself to avoid
getting vertigo. "I need the contact with earth especially
if I feel low. But it is painful at the same time because
solitude weighs to a greater extent. Moments of bleak desolation".
Maxence, Raphaëla’s
nephew, stopped by at the PC and he learns that the whole
Nioulargue gang is suspended to news of her progression. "Yeah!!
I feel very honored". He speaks quickly, he is moved
by this distant contact …
Raphaëla continues to
hum old tunes, "especially the on that sings about
deep Normandy and that Véronique knows so well ".
I have no idea what it is…
We get news about Raphaëla’s feet, "they
are much better, the Biafine really helped. So I was able
to change shoes and I don’t need bandaids any more for
the moment." This is great news no?
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Photo : Odyssée du vent
2003 |
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