Vendée Globe: why go back?
Whether a true addiction or a simple sporting challenge, the Vendée Globe is unique in that most of its participants return year after year. While Jean Le Cam will be there for the 6th time in a row, 15 of the 40 skippers taking part are "newcomers" to the event. Clarisse Cremer will be taking the start for the second time, benefiting from the advantage of experience, while retaining the freshness and enthusiasm of those who have not yet discovered all the secrets of the Everest of the Seas. Driven by an undeniable desire to "do better", she explains what motivates her, on the eve of her second solo exploit.
“I really felt the urge to set sail again while I was still at sea," Clarisse recalls. “Even quite early on, after three weeks. When I started to get into my rhythm, around the Cape of Good Hope. I compare it to the idea of going back to see a country you feel you haven't really had time to discover. You want to see its landscapes again, to feel the emotions it gave you. And also, to rediscover that slightly egotistical feeling of being alone in the world on your own little boat planet. In the end, it's this feeling that's so addictive.” The skipper of L'Occitane en Provence has always been fascinated by the travel aspect of the very special sport of ocean racing, and she remains as amazed as ever by the adventure she is about to embark upon. But after an 8-year career, including 5 years in the IMOCA class, the sailor is obviously just as excited by the sporting challenge that awaits her.
A sporting and personal challenge
“The first time, I didn't necessarily put performance at the top of the pile in terms of decision-making," she confesses, despite finishing a very good 12th place aboard her dagger board boat. “So I'd like to go back and be a bit more in competition mode!” An endurance race and a challenge as physical as it is strategic, the Vendée Globe will also enable Clarisse to set herself some personal goals, particularly in terms of self-management: "I'm keen to improve my mental way of dealing with technical hazards and the unexpected. In 2020, I coped quite well with the solitude, but it was really the technical part and a certain lack of self-confidence that caused me a lot of worry and energy consumption. I've worked a lot on that over the last four years, and I'd like to be able to experience it differently.” As each Vendée Globe is always different, with always new reasons to try again, this 10th edition promises to be just as beautiful and full of surprises as the previous ones... With great things in store for a Clarisse Cremer who is more informed, more confident and more determined than ever!