A project launched two months before departure
It's September 96. Catherine Chabaud is strolling along the pontoons of the Grand Pavois. A brief exchange with Jean Luc Van Den Heede tells her that her Harlé design is available for charter and could be used for the start of the 3 e edition of the Vendée Globe. With a new set of sails and a little work, the boat would be ready.
It all clicked! With eight weeks to go before the start, Catherine decided to take part in the adventure. Ranked 12 e of the Mini Transat 91, 10 e of the Transat 96, she is no novice in the world of ocean racing. She has sailed almost 10,000 miles since the beginning of the year. Although she hasn't had much time to train on this boat, this bulimia of miles covered remains a very good preparation.
Despite some health problems, she managed the feat of showing up at the start just two months after deciding to circumnavigate the globe
A euphoric sailor on departure day
There are thirteen other sailors at the start, including Isabelle Autissier on a brand-new PRB. Catherine sets off with no pretensions to victory
On the very first night, three competitors turn around and head back to Les Sables. Catherine takes her bearings and manages her race to be as tough as possible.
Choosing to pass to the east of Gran Canaria, she stays in contact with Bertrand de Broc and Éric Dumont. After two weeks of sailing, Catherine crosses the Doldrums for the first time, adapting to sailing in squalls that are as violent as they are unpredictable.
On November 21, she crossed the equator and entered the southern hemisphere. She suffers a little in the steady SE'ly trade winds, which force her to sail close-hauled for several days.
While Yves Parlier whips around at the front with a 400-mile lead, Catherine makes her way south in a group comprising Pete Goss, Raphaël Dinelli and Patrick de Radigues. Happy to be at sea, she climbed her mast on November 26 to carry out a technical check-up.
She prepares her boat for long weeks in the South Seas, and celebrates her 34th birthday e birthday alone.
The 1 er december, she learns of Isabelle Autissier's retirement following the breakage of one of her rudders. On December 4, she enters the forties and spots her first albatross. The fleet begins to experience technical problems. Catherine praises the simplicity of her boat, a guarantee of great reliability. She sailed one fine day after another at an average speed of 12 knots.
Yves Parlier and Thierry Dubois abandon for the same reason as Isabelle Autissier. Cold and damp settle in on board. The boat's speed record is broken, peaking at 20.5 knots.
An invigorating entry into the Indian Ocean
On December 12, 1996, Catherine changed oceans and headed for the Indian Ocean. But the long, wild swell had given way to a grueling calm, which didn't help the sailor catch up with the front of the fleet. Despite her last-place finish, her spirits remain high. The 50 e South is cut off a few days later, accompanied by typical southern sea conditions.
In a nasty low-pressure system with 60-knot winds, the boat was rolled by a huge breaker which caused a great deal of damage. The mizzen's gooseneck was damaged, the rigging slackened, the interior turned inside out and the computer destroyed: the Grand Sud now lives up to its reputation.
The shipwreck of Dinelli, Bullimore and Dubois
Deprived of communications with land, the following days were difficult. Both wind turbines give up the ghost. Only the generator can produce electricity. In addition, several diesel fuel cans exploded in the forward hold during the rollover. As Christmas approaches, conditions improve and communications are restored. But the euphoria is short-lived. Catherine learns that Raphaël Dinelli has triggered his distress beacons. The closest competitor with Pete Goss, she rushes to his aid.
In the end, it was the English skipper who managed to rescue the skipper from his raft in extremis.
On January 5, Tony Bullimore and Thierry Dubois were also shipwrecked. Shortly afterwards, Gerry Roof stopped communicating with land...
An invigorating Pacific before the liberation of Cape Horn
In mid-January, Catherine passed off the coast of New Zealand, and encountered some sunshine, which lifted her spirits. But a fishing net full of seaweed lodged itself in her keel, causing her another unnecessary fright. Depressions follow one another, with varying degrees of severity. Yves Parlier and Patrick de Radigues, after their forced stopover, sail close to Catherine.
At 80 e day of racing, entry into the Pacific was imminent. Catherine took 15 days to cross it, without any major damage, despite the violence of the lows she encountered.
February 5 was the day of deliverance. Cape Horn is rounded at the end of the day. The yachtswoman exults and swallows a bottle of champagne in the small cockpit of the Harlé plan.
An ascent of the Atlantic marked by numerous breakdowns
Once rounding Cape Dur, the pressure eased off, but fatigue set in. Skipper and boat suffered in the deep south. A low-pressure system with 50 knots on the nose shook the duo off the Falklands.
In mid-February, temperatures rise again and the sailor recovers. She had to deal with electrical damage, broken halyards and a problem with her furling system. But her spirits are lifted as the sun returns.
On March 4, she crossed the equator again and set course for Les Sables. She had to tinker with her boat every day, but she held on. The last few days of sailing were grueling, upwind. Then, on March 23, 1997, Cahterine Chabaud crossed the finish line of the third Vendée Globe, finishing in 6th place e and last of the event. There were 15 skippers at the start.
Catherine will have taken 140 days to complete the Vendée Globe course, making history by becoming the first woman to finish in the rankings. She will be followed by Ellen Mac Arthur, Anne Liardet, Karen Leibovici, Samantha Davis, Dee Caffari, Clarisse Crémer, Pip Hare, Miranda Merron and Alexia Barrier.
