L'Occitane Sailing Team set for the Vendée Globe
by L'Occitane Sailing Team 7 Nov 2024 09:09 PST
10 November 2024
Clarisse Crémer, L'Occitane Sailing Team at the Vendée Globe © PKC Media
Four years after completing her first solo circumnavigation of the globe, Clarisse Crémer is preparing to repeat the experience, albeit in a completely new way.
The woman who came back amazed from her voyage, which she almost considered to be an initiation, is in fact setting off this year with completely new objectives in mind. Intimate as well as sporting!
With 40 boats lining up at the start, including 13 new boats and 25 foilers, the field for the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe is so strong that only he or she will be able to predict the winning trio. It's an exceptional fleet, and one in which Clarisse Crémer is hoping to make her mark, as she holds the women's record for the event. So what are her objectives after her first participation, which ended in 12th place, when she returns, stronger and better equipped, at the helm of the boat which crossed the finish line first that same year? Froma sporting point of view, I know that people expect figures, time and place objectives,' she anticipates. In the end, there's not much point in aiming for a race time, as it depends so much on the weather. But for the sake of argument, I'd like to be faster than last time. I've got a boat that can do it, but I don't have any specific goals.
Personal goals: the real quest
The most difficult race in sailing, but also the last of the remaining adventures, the Vendée Globe does not bear the name of Everest of the seas just because it is so physically and athletically demanding. Because to complete a circumnavigation of more than 24,000 miles, using the most extreme maritime routes, like the 113 other skippers (only) who have managed to achieve the feat since 1989, you need something that some people don't have. A certain thirst for exploration, a quest for introspection and self-discovery, which allowed Clarisse to serenely embrace 87 days of solitude. My main objective is above all personal,' she confides. It's to feel good on the water, or at least as good as possible, even in difficult moments. To be able to bounce back quickly if something goes wrong. At nearly 35 years of age, which she will celebrate at sea on 30 December, Clarisse Crémer now knows that she is in a position to weather any storm, without ever losing her love of the sea and sailing. Or of her other sporting objective? I'm dreaming of a Top 10 finish, because when you see the world on the start line, that would be a really great performance!
Clarisse Crémer: "I want to be more confident this time"
Imagine... The day of departure
A visualisation exercise for Clarisse, three days away from casting off and setting off, alone, for the second time, to tackle a round-the-world race at the helm of her new IMOCA Open 60. Close your eyes... Imagine... Travel...
"I don't really like departure days. I'm gradually getting into my 'robot' mode. I go straight ahead and let myself be carried along by the obligations of the organisation. I let myself be guided because that's it, the moment when I say to myself that I just want to be at sea has arrived. I can't enjoy the land any more. I want to be away...I let my emotions overwhelm me a bit when I got to the channel, it was different from last time, there were so many people there. It's beautiful.
Here I am on the water. I'm waiting for the start. This time, in my head, I'm already off. That's it! The start is given. After a completely improbable day, being out of my depth and not really enjoying myself, here I am. Right where I need to be. I can't wait for this day to be over, to be out at sea tomorrow, picking up my pace. I can't wait for the rest!"