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On L'Occitane en Provence, Tripon is climbing up the South Atlantic in increasingly lighter conditions. For the first time in a long time, he has enjoyed a starry sky and pleasant temperatures in the cockpit. The job list today? Managing the boat, sailing well, some DIY and the strategy.
"It's got light, I raised my foils 20 minutes ago. Because I'm going slower, less agitated in all directions, the body relaxes and there's less noise too. But even yesterday it was hectic. You can feel that the atmosphere is changing, the weather is better, we have a starry sky, it's been a long time, it's pleasant!
In the cockpit when it is sunny, it is nice. The air temperature rises quickly, at night it's even nice outside. I still have another 200 miles before I reach the warm waters, I think."
A lot of work!
"I have quite a few issues that have accumulated. There's a bit of work to be done! There's nothing serious: I have to work on the engine, do some stacking, a couple of things that keep me busy during the day! I have to do a full boat check that I didn't have time to do because it was moving too much.
I'm at the chart table, I'm sitting on my bunk, facing the chart table which swivels 180°, so it's comfortable. I feel good, I don't have any physical pain or anything else. My hands are not damaged at all, I have my shea butter cream, it's my daily ritual. My hands are greasy, but they are full of Sikaflex because I had to repair the sail. The mainsail was torn above the third reef, so I put on 3DI fabric. I glued pieces of it on and then tried to squeeze it all together, put some piece over it all then waited 3 hours for it to set. I did this right after Cape Horn as I had the right conditions to do it. It doesn't seem to be moving."
Northbound
The strategy for future is not very clear. The weather systems move too much, the small depressions evolve quickly. Yesterday, it was passing to the East, and in fact, there is a window to the North that has just opened. Clarisse has taken the same option as me and this will take us to Brazil. Once up there, it isn't clear, there are quite a few stormy depressions, but we still have time to see.
The link with the land
Every week I communicate with my three children. For the little one, I have to tell him jokes because each evening they tell each other jokes. The older ones tell me about their lives about being school and college children. This keeps us connected, because life on the land has been put on standby. Our wives handle this with mastery! Hats off to them!
It was crazy and an amazing feeling to pass this mythical milestone, I still can't believe it. The transition is brutal, the sea is calmer. Right away it's lighter, there's less tension. We know that the weather is getting better. It's a hell of a journey!