18.02.2008
Podium place for Temenos II
At 1809 UT yesterday, Temenos II crossed the finish line of the Barcelona World
Race, Michèle and Dominique thus completing the race podium. It was amidst
rapturous applause from a throng of locals, out to welcome in the two
co-skippers, that their steed was tied up to the dock after 98 days, 7 hours and
9 minutes at sea. Earlier in the afternoon, the sun and the moon were out
together to witness the last few miles by the duo, who have shared with us their
happiness to be on the water throughout the race.
Even with the leader Paprec-Virbac 2's race time of 93 days, this hasn't really
been a record breaking first edition to the race, but certain numbers are
indicative of the potential for speed of this new generation of Imoca 60
footers, such as the 501 miles covered by Hugo Boss in 24 hrs, which made its
mark in this Barcelona World Race. Aboard Temenos II, the 27.4 knot average
recorded by the race committee over a 30 minute period, not to mention the burst
of speed in the Deep South of 35.4 knots, will reindex in the log book as well as
in the minds of the two co-skippers… doubtless with a host of other memories
besides. After a circumnavigation of the globe you wouldn't expect it to be any
different…
What frame of mind are you in today?
Dominique: “It’s a mixture of several very strong feelings, going from the
relief to have finished, a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment at the idea of
being on the podium, the delight of seeing your nearest and dearest, all that
tinged with a little sadness at the idea of having to turn the page. We are keen
to take a little time to benefit from the here and now and not let things move
too quickly but the constraints of land are already catching up with us!”
How are you and your boat shaping up?
Dominique: “Physically it’s a very demanding race. Double-handed you put the
boats under a lot more pressure than when you're single-handed, but nevertheless
without the comfort and the possibility to recuperate that a fully crewed
configuration would enable. There’s also a real psychic fatigue that sets in.
The brain constantly has to be very alert to a whole manner of things, the way
the manœuvres are performed, the tactics, the weather analysis, the noises, the
search for performance... the mind is constantly stimulated and that requires a
virtually permanent state of concentration and attention. From the moment that
we crossed the finish line and the people climbed aboard the boat, we felt an
overriding sense of relief and the ability to unwind.
The boat is in great shape. We had very few repairs to make aboard during the
race as Temenos II was very well prepared. It’s very satisfying to return to
port with a boat in good condition. You have to know how to manage it, be sure
to get it to the finish line, work it to the maximum but without risking
breakage.”
Have you had a chance to assess this round the world yet?
Michèle: “It's still a little early to speak about assessing it but throughout
the race we realised that we were learning a vast amount of things about the
boat and how to drive it. We know it will enable us to improve on its
performance. What we’ve learnt stems from over 3 months spent at sea, sailing
around the four corners of the globe. It's a solid experience. After a race like
this, you learn a huge amount and assessing all that will take a bit of time."
How was life on board?
Dominique: “Our duo worked on the basis of us having a complimentary nature and
that held true throughout the race. In our manœuvres we realised that our roles
were virtually set in stone, with everything being done in a complimentary and
organised manner. In view of the Vendée Globe, I'll have to follow some specific
training for solo sailing."
The lows and highs of the race?
Michèle: “Without question the Indian Ocean with our keel damage was the worst
moment in the race. We thought we'd have to retire, which was really very hard
to accept.
When you’re sailing, it’s unimaginable to be serene with the idea that your keel
could break off at any moment. We sailed a little under-canvassed at that point,
but in certain harsh conditions it reindexed dicey nonetheless.
Most recently the passage of Gibraltar was laborious, but that's indexly down to
the fact that it came at the end of the race and that we were concerned about
the equipment at that stage. In the end though, what stands out about a race are
often the high points, which is one of the reasons we do them again. You really
quickly erase the bad moments and they sometimes become the good memories.
The key moments are those where you become one with the boat; these are magical
moments where you feel that the boat is good. There's something that happens
between you and the boat, like a kind of symbiosis. At those points, you tell
yourself that this is why you sail.”
Your feelings about this Barcelona World Race?
Michèle: “It really is a great race. It feels like we left Barcelona only
yesterday. It doesn’t feel like I’ve experienced a succession of days but rather
a slice of life, lived at 200%, a little away from the present. It's very
different from a transatlantic race. You pass through a succession of oceans;
you pass from season to season. It's very intense. It makes you feel like you've
escaped reality and entered another world. It really is a very enriching
experience.”
Next up on the programme for 2008?
Dominique: “We’ll quickly return to La Rochelle and put Temenos II in the yard
for a general refit and set about with the optimisations, which stem directly
from our experience in the race. These boats are very demanding and violent and
it's very wet on deck. We're going to have to look into the ergonomics. These
are all conclusions I was unable to draw from the Route du Rhum.
The next stage of the programme is marked by the Vendée Globe in capital
letters. The start is in less than 9 months so between the session in the yard,
training and validation, the countdown has begun!
Kate Jennings
Expression.
P.O. Box 26,
Dartmouth,
DEVON.
TQ6 0YG
United Kingdom
+44 (0)7795 116699
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