Clarisse Crémer : Halfway between Martinique and Lorient.
On day seven of the single-handed Atlantic race "Retour à La Base," Clarisse Crémer maintains her position in 14th place. The gap with the leader is only 350 nautical miles. At this stage, everything remains open for the rest of the race; in ocean racing it isn’t over until the finish line.
From day one, Clarisse and her team were clear of their intentions: the main objective is to qualify for the Vendée Globe 2024 and this qualifying solo passage is a critical part of that process. After a planned conservative start to the race, she made her way up the rankings and caught up with the leading boats in the 30 strong IMOCA fleet. Today, almost a week into the race, the skipper remains resolute in adhering to the plan of preserving herself and the boat and it is clear to see her competitive spirit is re-ignited.
Her mentor, Alex Thomson, remarks, "This is Clarisse’s first solo race in three years, and I can see, although I know it’s not comfortable out there that she is settling back into the single-handed mode. As a competitor you always want to be competitive and she is proving that out there, but we must keep reminding ourselves this is a race for qualification and miles, not just a race for the podium. These two back-to-back Atlantic races are setting up the foundations for the round the world race at the end of next year. The team have worked their socks off to get the boat ready, I am glad it wasn’t me having to work in the heat, on the boat when it was swinging on the mooring in Martinique. I am mightily impressed with her, each day she is getting more familiar with the boat, she’s tough, focussed and she’s a world class sailor and we are all very proud of her.”
This initial phase of the race has delivered conditions that have offered little respite. According to Alan Roberts, Clarisse's co-skipper in the Transat Jacques Vabre, the weather conditions have been unpredictable. "Clouds and squalls have presented a genuine meteorological challenge for Clarisse. Coupled with the inherent sleep deprivation in solo navigation, these factors demand constant vigilance, frequent sail changes, and potential technical troubleshooting onboard, making her navigation particularly demanding."
The latter part of the race promises more adverse meteorological conditions. Positioned halfway between Martinique and Lorient, Clarisse anticipates a "more challenging crossing", as she conveyed in a recent message to her team. Aware of the forthcoming challenges, Clarisse knows the stakes are high and that the goal is to take another step towards qualifying for one of the coveted 39 places available for the Vendée Globe 2024.
The battle with fatigue will be affecting all skippers including Clarisse. "Last night I managed to sleep for the first time since the start (you can tell by my speed!!). Until then I took short naps, without dreaming and I really felt like I had not slept at all. Waking up was frankly not easy, making my maneuvers difficult: at one point I thought there were clearly several of us on board! I had a good laugh with my teammates.”
Extreme fatigue can lead to hallucinations that Alex has experienced several times “In one of my races I had to write on the white board – ‘Alex you are racing alone, there is no one else on this boat!’ I would have full conversations with my imagined crew mates – but there was nobody there. The mind is a powerful tool, right now I am happy that Clarisse has rested a little and is still motivated. I think she will continue to keep it simple, focusing on delivering clean maneuvers and getting to the finish.” commented Alex Thomson.
