Transatlantique – Partie 2

Léo CARPENTIER

Personally, I found the beginning of the transatlantic crossing very difficult. It took me several days to get used to this new way of life. You have to imagine that from one day to the next, we found ourselves alone, among ourselves, surrounded by water.

After this time of adaptation, I really enjoyed the first part of the trip. The calm, the rest, the reading, the discussions,...I really enjoyed it.

The messages exchanged with the family, my girlfriend and my friends via the satellite phone also helped me a lot to adapt to the life at sea.

On the second part, the fatigue and the sea conditions complicated life on board and it was less pleasant. I was also very impatient to arrive! Nevertheless, I am very happy with this trip as there was never any conflict. Life on board is not easy but we have always been there for each other and that is the most important thing for me.

What I liked best during the transatlantic race? Smell the land at the arrival after a month of sea spray

Lucas NICOLAS

Not being a sailor at all and having only sailed alongside Emilien and Léo on a crossing from Toulon to Sardinia on a small racing boat (a J80), the transatlantic race was a big leap in the dark for me.

This incredible experience helped me understand what "long time" meant. For me, the days look the same and add up. It is difficult to get into the rhythm, it takes me a week to adapt my body to this new way of life. Once I got into the rhythm, I didn't feel very tired. 

I am enjoying helming Noddi, getting to know this old ship and all its intricacies, qualities and flaws. 

I'm learning as the days go by and I'm really enjoying improving. The mechanisms are being created, I feel more and more at ease on the boat. The reaction leaves more room for anticipation, it's nice.

Sometimes boredom can take a certain place during the night watches and when everyone leaves to rest, I find myself alone surrounded by thousands of stars that light up the waves encircling the sailboat. The music and podcasts occupy my thoughts and do a lot of good. 

I retain moments of conviviality, a group intelligence which leaves room for the respect of the spaces of each one, more difficult moments and many colors dressing the sky which come to splash the retina of their splendor.

The Pacific is a step I am looking forward to, crossing this ocean will be an accomplishment in my little life! 

But first, let's go to Costa Rica!

Emilien Pierron

Jumping into the void held by a rubber band that you made yourself, that's what the transatlantic was for me, captain of Noddi.

The previous few weeks of sailing had allowed me to get to know the boat well, to fine-tune certain settings and to make certain improvements.

The ship's behavior during a storm in the Mediterranean also reinforced my confidence in this yacht built more than 50 years ago. Finally, in the absence of an autopilot and windvane gear, the crew made rapid progress in handling the ship and carrying out maneuvers.

Nevertheless, to travel 2700 NM at the speed of a runner without being able to count on anyone is intimidating. So it is with a mind full of responsibilities that I set off westward. During the first few days, I had a lot of questions: what course to follow to go as fast as possible without sacrificing too much comfort? What sail configuration to adopt?

On top of that, Leo's condition worries me a lot. I even imagine that he will ask me to go down to Cape Verde.

Finally he pulls himself together and my worries subside. 

The conditions are rather calm and despite the distance to the coast which is growing, we are calm. After 15 days, when the trade winds pick up again, the hardest thing is to keep the rigor of the start: going around the deck every day to check the equipment, watching the weather, taking reefs... Anticipating rather than suffering. 

It is thanks to this seriousness that we were able to detect and solve some problems before they became annoying: broken engine throttle lever (repaired with a door handle), water leak in the hold because of a broken collar, defective solar panels (a cable melted because of the too high intensity in the tropics), disconnected compass light... 

When we arrived in Martinique, we were 5 miles from the coast, the helm broke while we zigzagged between the drifting nets, under sail, in force 7. We quickly installed the emergency helm, then quickly decided to lower the boat. The engine starts perfectly and everything works well, the crew remains concentrated until the end.I am convinced that if we had not maintained the equipment during the crossing, the outcome would have been different. 

It is only once we are anchored in the sailor's bay, motionless under the stars and on a lagoon, that I realize that we have just crossed an ocean. The rubber band mentioned at the beginning held!

As Eric Tabarly said: "Sailing is an activity that does not suit impostors. In many professions, one can make an illusion and bluff with impunity. In sailing, you either know or you don't know."