SOLITUDE

Solitude is a great opportunity, but as soon as you come face to face with it, you have to be strong and driven. It’s one thing to face up to it when you want it and are fully aware of its implications, but it’s something else entirely when you’re exhausted, fragile. When we set sail on a Vendée Globe, we know that we are alone on a boat for around two and a half months. We also know how lucky we are to have various means for communicating with land and between skippers.

It may seem as if there is no time to feel alone amidst the tasks that need to be done, the contacts with land, the videos and photos to be sent, yet this is not the case. There are times where I feel alone, especially when, on the other side of the world, I was in a time zone that was completely out of kilter with home. I needed to share a few words, but equally I didn’t want to disturb anyone. There were times when I wanted to see someone, embrace my children.

You need motivation to live with solitude.
My drivers are introspection, contemplation, the desire to push back the limits and gain an understanding.

Sometimes love too, solidarity even at times, and here I’m referring to the project undertaken by my partners, with whom we’ve decided to collect electric cables to assist the NGO Électriciens sans Frontières. The goal? To provide access to drinking water and electricity for those populations which are in difficulty or particularly isolated, thanks to a network of partners and volunteers.


Thank you Prysmian for this initiative. I know just how important electricity is on land.
Thank you Électriciens sans Frontières for giving me additional motivation to withstand the solitude.