Confined sailors
Everyone has been affected by the health crisis caused by the Coronavirus epidemic and has to adapt to cope with this exceptional situation. The sailors have been forced to stay ashore and patiently wait until the situation is more favourable…
The teams pulling together: “We all have to make an effort”
The sailors and their teams are dealing with the situation adopting a wartime spirit and trying to put things into perspective. That is the case for Ronan Lucas, director of the Banque Populaire team. “Our projects cannot be seen as vital for the country. We have to step back and show an example. The health of the public is what comes first,” he declared. “We postponed the launch of the Banque Populaire X IMOCA, to protect our employees and to avoid spreading the epidemic. Clarisse Crémer is in a hurry to get back with her boat. Meanwhile, she is doing some sport and weather training… At the end of the lockdown, we will be ready to launch the boat within 24-48 hours. Whatever happens, we will do our utmost to clock up as many miles as possible before the Vendée Globe.”
Kevin Escoffier had similar thoughts. “I fully support the movement. We all have to make an effort,” declared the skipper of the PRB IMOCA. “We have closed the yard and are working from home for example on the sail configurations for the Vendée Globe. The idea is to be ready as soon as possible when things get moving again and that we don’t waste this period of time. I am also working on weather analysis with Jean-Yves Bernot’s Vendée Globe road books on my bedside table. I am doing some sport. We all have our programme at home with balls, skipping rope, resistance bands, etc. And the kids are at home with us, so it is nice to spend that time with them. We go through their homework and make the most of being together.”
For Yannick Bestaven, the situation is all the more frustrating as he only launched his IMOCA, Maître CoQ last week. But he too is putting it all into perspective: “In comparison to everything that is going on, our situation is far from serious. We are lucky to be in good health. I keep thinking about the medical teams that are hard at work on the front line. We take all the measures that are currently in place very seriously and that means leaving our own goals to one side. Things will get better and we will set off again in style when the time comes.”
Others are having fun as a family, like Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Coeur) and Romain Attanasio (PURE) who take their son Ruben for a round of Optimist...on the green.
Several teams also deposited their remaining stock of white suits and masks. A small gesture but everything counts.
Teams info
Clarisse Crémer: “I felt all the energy of my team to get me back on the water as soon as possible”
After a week of uncertainty following the discovery of major damage on her boat during The Transat CIC race onboard the IMOCA L'Occitane en Provence, Clarisse Crémer hopes to soon be able to continue her race towards New…
•••Yoann Richomme: Pinching himself after victory in The Transat CIC
Many of the IMOCA skippers in The Transat CIC have been dreaming about completing the race and gliding past the Statue of Liberty after the finish, and earlier today race winner Yoann Richomme did exactly that.
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