Clarisse Crémer has just completed her first Vendée Globe this Wednesday 3rd February after 87 days 2h 24 min 25 sec of racing on the IMOCA Banque Populaire X. She is the first woman in the race - there were six at the start, but Sam Davies and Isabelle Joschke dropped out - to reach Les Sables-d'Olonne.
But above all, she became the fastest single-handed yachtswoman around the world in a monohull, as she beat the previous record set by Ellen MacArthur, 2nd in the 2001 Vendée Globe on Kingfisher in 94 d 4 hrs 25 min. When you think that she discovered ocean racing five years ago, taking part in her first Mini Transat 2017?avant to move onto the Figaro circuit, and having only been preparing for 16 months before embarking on this round the world voyage.
With heavy wind and sea conditions - a 5 m swell making it perilous, even impossible for the crew to tranship and the IMOCA boats to arrive in the channel under sail, the sailor chose to lift her foot. Under very reduced sail - 3 reefs and without headsail - she manages her approach and modulates her speed to let most of the conditions pass. It was under J2 that she was advancing slowly towards the finish line.
All the more so since it is encountering the same arrival conditions as Boris Herrmann, who, it should be remembered, had hit a fishing boat 90 miles from the finish.
"It's not going to be easy to slow down in 30 knots so I think I'm going to be under 3 reefs mainsail alone and I'll try to speed up to aim for a finish tomorrow afternoon. It's not easy to predict an exact finish, it's a new exercice?!" she explained yesterday.
The young woman will have fought long battles with Romain Attanasio, Alan Roura, resisting for a long time against the rise of Armel Tripon, on his L'Occitane foiler, but finally yielding the place to him.
The first words of Clarisse Crémer
First of all, it's a big relief to be here. I was stressed to the max, but I'm happy to be here, to be back with my team, honey. It's a crazy chance to experience the Vendée Globe.
I'm gonna need a little bit of perspective. It's pretty violent, in a good way, this move from loneliness to all of this. I've learnt a lot during this race, which makes me want to set off again immediately with this boat, because before the start I didn't know how to use it properly. It's so much more fun to know how to control the beast.
For sure I had a little bit of preparation time and I felt it the first week. But in the end it went well, I'm happy.
I've heard that I'm the fastest woman in a Vendée Globe, but it's a mixed sport, there's no male/female ranking. Of course it's great to be the first woman to finish the race, being a woman in the sailing world is cool, but again there is no male/female ranking.
I have not suffered from loneliness but I am happy to be reunited with my loved ones.
In 3 months, we live 10 years. It's a life accelerator. It's true that my morale is fluctuating, I'm a little too attentive to my emotions. I cried with joy every day, but not despair.
Back on a foiler? On a race you sometimes think, "Never again." I didn't say it there, but rarely enough. I'm not disgusted with the Vendée Globe. I've learnt a lot of things, I've had some good times. I'd like to try the adventure again in a more 'sporting' mode, but it's too soon.
The number 12 is nice but what I'm looking at is my course, my trajectories, my weather choices... The way I managed my race. In the Vendée Globe, above all, you want to finish, to go all the way. I'm happy with my choices, even if I've obviously suffered from my lack of experience.
