Confined to 'the Everest of the seas': around the wildest world

UNDER REGISTRATION

• ALBERTO MAS

  @AlbertoMas_

Friday, 13 November 2020 - 16:13

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A

closed to the bone by the pandemic on Sunday witnessed, from their homes, how

escaped out to sea with the aim of going around the world under sail.

In times of confinement it may seem that there is no greater sense of freedom than traversing oceans driven by the wind.

However, this freedom is lived in solitude, without touching the mainland, battling against winds, waves and rivals and under living conditions that border on the subhuman.

The

ée Globe

Since its first edition in 1989 the regatta, which is held every four years with start and finish in

, is a phenomenon in the neighboring country, a test that today rubs shoulders with the

on the podium of national sporting events;

In 2016, French televisions broadcast

they went to the port of Vandean.

That unique mix of sport, adventure, drama and improvement in a beautiful and hostile environment dazzles. Another uniqueness.

The logos of large multinationals or banks do not dominate the candles, but of frozen chicken companies, bakery franchises, door and window manufacturers ... «The Vendée Globe is based on a simple idea that the general public understands - a career around the world, alone and without assistance-, it also establishes a framework of values ​​in which brands can set their own, ”he argues.

, CEO of SAEM Vendée, a public-private company organizing the event.

, the sponsors of the boats are integrated into an adventure that is followed by millions of people, receiving an "equal impact" regardless of the investment made.

“Large team budgets for four-year campaigns are equal to

», He concludes.

Just a spanish

Galactic projects have disbursed up to

10 million euros

to build next-generation IMOCA class sailboats, able to stop floating thanks to the foils, ailerons that lift the hull above the water to reach devilish speeds.

To compete with an earthly ship, the budget is around 500,000 euros per year.

The largest fleet in history

It is made up of 33 employers between 27 and 57 years old.

There is also a record of

women

(six) and rookies (18).

The 19 flying monohulls seek victory and, if possible, break the record that Armel Le Cléac'h set in 2017 in 74 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes and 46 seconds.

For the rest, the glory is to reach the goal and, if possible, in less than 100 days.

And it is that the statistics remember that almost half of the fleet will end up retiring due to breakages, breakdowns or injuries. The only Spaniard in this madness is

Didac Costa

.

This Barcelona firefighter already disputed the previous edition with a project

low-cost

, finishing fourteenth (108 days) with one of the oldest sailboats, the One Planet One Ocean, and after overcoming countless misfortunes.

With the same ship and with a similar budget, although this time reinforced by a successful campaign of

crowdfunding

, faces his second assault on hell out of devotion.

The three great capes

All the bosses have been quarantined for between one and two weeks and surrounded by three sanitary cords to minimize contacts.

If a lone sailor falls ill with Covid-19 «

can generate extremely serious moments

», Warns

Jean Yves Chauve

, Medical Director of the Vendée Globe.

The skippers left the

pandemic

on November 8, recovering the old normality, which for them means devouring 24,296 miles (44,996 km), leaving the three great capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and the mythical Cape Horn) on the port side.

They will sail away.

So much so that they will even roam Point Nemo, in the South Pacific, where they will be closer to the International Space Station than to the nearest coast.

They will accumulate tiredness and fatigue due to exertion and lack of sleep (they sleep in maximum cycles of 30 minutes).

It is a brutal physical and psychic challenge.

Everest of the seas

The early days of the Vendée Globe have already hit some members of the fleet hard.

The worst unemployed to date has been

Jérémie Beyou

, patron of Charal and one of the favorites to victory.

On Tuesday night, his ship

collided with an OFNI (unidentified floating object, which can be from a semi-sunken container to a whale)

.

The incident resulted in one of the rudders damaged and a break in the backstay (rigging cable that holds the mast steady).

Too many wounds.

The Charal turned and headed for Les Sables d'Ononne, the starting square.

The rules allow participants to return to the French port up to 10 days after departure to carry out repairs.

Beyou has a talented gravel team with the resources to bring his skipper back to the race, but his chances of finishing at the top of the rankings are gone.

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