After his 2016 Vendée Globe, Sébastien Destremau came back changed, a bit mystical. To the point of setting off again with the gun blazing for the last edition. This lack of preparation, for which he says he has no excuses, has undoubtedly led him to abandon the race south of New Zealand to reach a port in that country.
From his first experience, the sailor had written a book about his journey and how he came to start this solo round the world race. His book was mostly a reckoning with his family as a whole. This time, it is in the form of a logbook that he tells us about this new adventure made of setbacks. He comes back on his bad choices like this cardboard cap that will not last more than a week and that will visually transform his nice IMOCA into a kind of dumping ground. He will also talk about his rudder bearing problems, which will plague his entire race, leading to repeated failures of his automatic pilots.
When you read it, you don't really understand the tenacity of the skipper who goes from one problem to another, spending most of his days in the back of the aft hold without seeing the day. Lying in the oil of the exploding hydraulic cylinder or at the top of the mast to repair an unscrewed aerial..
This short story, the race lasted only 70 days and half a world tour, is read quickly and finally it is not so much the adventure of the sailor that remains in memory, but rather his love debacles with which Sébastien Destremau struggles without really succeeding in curing himself.
The book is entitled "Return to Hell", without us really knowing what the author came to look for in these South Seas that he nicknamed Hell. What is certain is that the man does not like to do as everyone else does, and that he loves above all freedom, even if it means burning his wings.
Return to Hell - Sébastien Destremau
- Éditions XO
- 15.3 x 24 cm
- 270 pages
- 19,90 euros
