12.12.2008
“Because I like that!”
Stamm, unshakeable, is continuing his race to make it back with the head of
the fleet. In the furious fifties, the skipper of Cheminées Poujoulat admits
to liking the atmosphere of the deep south, even though man is not welcome
here.
To the south of the Kerguelen Islands
“I like it when we get moving!” laughs Bernard Stamm on his Cheminées
Poujoulat. And he’s been dealt some good conditions for making speed at the
heart of the furious fifties, on the hunt for the men at the front of the
pack. Stamm doesn’t disguise his pleasure at being back in the middle of
these inhospitable regions, even taking the time to admire the majestic
flight of the albatrosses. “There’s over 30 knots of breeze. The sea is very
messy as the big waves created by the swell are making conditions like a
minefield. There is low, grey cloud and it’s bitterly cold. Down below, it’s
not drying out, but I like this atmosphere. I feel good in the south”.
Doubling the effort
“Cheminées Poujoulat is fully powered up. I have about a tonne of water in
the aft ballast tank and we’re surfing along at 25 knots. The boat enters
the waves, even if they’re forming a barrier, and then she passes over the
top.” Ranked 14th, Cheminées Poujoulat is making strong gains on Pindar,
which has been resisting attack for some days. At 1100 hours, 11 miles
separated the two boats. “I’m stampeding along to make up ground. The
weather has favoured my progress up till now, because if the frontrunners
had had favourable conditions, I wouldn’t have been able to catch up with
them”. With several circumnavigations of the globe under his belt, Bernard
Stamm also knows that you have to know how to bide your time as there’s
still a long way to go and you have to preserve your steed. The dismasting
of Gitana Eighty is a hard blow for the Vendée Globe fleet and above all it
is a reminder that breakage can disqualify you. “It’s a shame for Loďck as
he had a superb race up to that point. You really get the impression that
it’s either make or break in this edition. I’m preserving my gear and myself
as best I can, but we’re belting along all the same.”
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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