Kito de Pavant, the Mediterranean skipper of Bastide Otio is looking back on his Vendée Globe, which finished far too early on 7th December 2016, after a violent collision the day before, forcing him to retire and the race and his boat to retire.
In this twelve-minute video, we follow the skipper from the start, as he explains his desire to take part in the Vendée Globe and his search for sponsors to take part. Then comes the preparation of his IMOCA and his participation in his first race, the Giraglia, which allowed him to measure himself against the competition.
Bastide Otio was christened in September 2016, just before transporting the boat for 2,000 miles towards Les Sables-d'Olonne. We then follow the skipper in his daily life in the Vendée, which he describes as "incredible" for skippers who are not used to seeing so many people. The pontoons don't empty and there are many requests: journalists, the public...
November 6, 2016 is D-Day, the day of departure, and the emotion is intense. Kito is impatient, because it is "heavy" to leave the pontoon. And, once again, he experiences something "absolutely incredible": the ascent of the channel, which is "super long."
The emotion never ends as Kito is now at sea and has to say goodbye to her team, who have been forced to leave the boat. The pressure is enormous for the start, "not to be embarrassed by the opponents", but the skipper of Bastide Otio is happy with his departure, which he finds "particularly successful".
Then comes life on board with images of the ship: from her living cell, from her bunk, from her chart table or even from the cockpit.
Next comes the time of damage on December 6, 2016. At the time, it is not yet known what caused it, but the shock was very violent. Thanks to the images of the boat recovered and analysed by the skipper's team, we now know that it's a sperm whale that was hit by the sailor.. . The keel well has been ripped out and there is a big leak on board, which means the end of the Vendée Globe for the southern skipper. The images speak for themselves, Kito de Pavant is terribly sad and disappointed...
On December 7, things are in a hurry and Kito is forced to abandon her boat. He is rescued by the Mario Dufresne II.. which patrolled off the Kerguelen Islands. The coup de grâce came on December 13, last year, when the IMOCA beacons stop transmitting .
Finally, the skipper shares with us his life aboard the ship and his visit to the surrounding islands.
Even if it is a little long, the video is easy to watch. The soundtrack is quite nice and the editing is well done. It's interesting to follow the participation in the Vendée Globe from the inside.
