At sea (AFP)

At the helm of a brand new boat equipped with foils, Armel Tripon takes a "grateful" look at these appendages which propel him "from one longitude to another at a frantic pace", as he tells AFP in his Vendée Globe logbook.

The 45-year-old sailor from Nantes, who is taking part in his first solo round-the-world trip, is at the gates of the Indian Ocean, which he will therefore discover as the captain of a black and yellow boat with which he goes very, very fast. .

In the fourth week of racing, he climbed six places in the overall standings.

On the 28th day, he was ranked 15th.

"Hi my foils!

Ever since we caught that cold front that is propelling us at high speed towards the Cape of Good Hope, so aptly named for me, I am extremely grateful to you.

Already I found you beautiful, proud, and valiant, drawn up towards the heavens, but in addition you turn out to be formidable.

You are a war machine, I never tire of seeing you slash the water savagely, and with all your strength, your will and your dream make me go from one longitude to another at a frantic pace that I do not I had never known a monohull before.

You cut the foam with a billhook, nothing seems to slow you down, the wind eases I give you panache by lengthening your race, and I see you then smiling and beautiful players, my boat accelerating.

The sea forms, the boat hits, flies away uncontrollably.

Never mind, I'll retract you wisely for a quarter of rest, playing on the hoist (lifting system with rope and pulleys) in perfect fluidity and rhythm.

We are accomplices in this adventure and I know very well that I must spare you to go far.

I also know that your robustness is an asset of my game, it's up to me to find the right mix, like a tightrope walker in balance.

I go mile after mile, never satisfied.

I will soon be flirting with the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (ZEA).

This name is quite barbaric, it even scares this insurmountable line because of penalties.

I imagine it as an erected wall, like a continent or rather like an abyss, where the world stops.

So I take my distance from this limit, even if the routing brings me closer every day because the high pressure and its erratic winds crush me against this line to flee towards the east.

I have been putting my foils away for twelve hours, the wind is gone, + pffff + ... Suddenly, I take the opportunity to go around the boat, put my benevolent eyes on each mechanical part, scrutinize the wear , anticipate the breakage.

In 24 hours my foils and I will fly again towards the Indian Ocean which I will discover! "

Interview by Sabine COLPART

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