I'm an ocean racing skipper on a trimaran and it's true that I've experienced some great moments in my career, almost moments of ecstasy. Among these moments, this year's victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre is one of them. With my team mate, we took part in the last Transat Jacques Vabre between Le Havre and Salvador de Baya and we were lucky enough to win this transatlantic race and above all to win it by scratch, in other words, we were first to arrive in Brazil in all categories.
And that was extraordinary because it's not like in other sports like when a footballer scores and celebrates his goal, in our sport we live it in the longer term. Our race lasted about 10 days so we fight for 10 days, but before crossing the finish line in the lead we have time to realize that we are going to win. We were more than 10 hours ahead of the second so we knew we were going to win 48 hours before we arrived. Even if a race is only won when you cross the line, you're always on the alert, but in 48 hours we had time to prepare psychologically for victory.
But still, the fantastic thing is that the moment you cross the line, the moment victory materializes and becomes real. It's a moment of ecstasy when you realize and really savor the victory. What's more, when you're the first in such a race, you become part of the legend. The welcome on land from the organisers and journalists, the world of ocean racing and our partners is triumphant. It puts this feeling of exultation to music and it's an extraordinary moment. There were two of us and this victory is a team effort. This extraordinary memory of that precise moment of those 10 seconds when we cross the line, when we reach the quay to put the boat under cover and celebrate and bite into this victory, is a moment I won't forget in my life!
Find the vision of the 5 senses of skipper Gilles Lamiré in this interview.
