Sailing feats: the Vendée Globe is the pinnacle
Those who set sail in the Vendéee Globe competition belong to a community of people who are totally out of the ordinary. One could almost say that they are religious believers! Personal commitment, determination, courage and a wide range of talents are the qualities they have to demonstrate, even before being allowed to take part. The instigator of the first edition of the Vendée Globe uttered a masterly phrase that is still relevant today: "In the Vendée Globe, all finishers are winners".
Going around the world is an experience of extraordinary richness and intensity
But Tour du mondeâeuros is not necessarily synonymous with competition. There are as many ways of accomplishing this original and fantastic journey as there are people attracted by the concept. You can do the loop on foot, by bike, pedalo or sailboat. But there's nothing trivial about setting off from one part of the sphere, in one direction, and returning in the opposite direction. Although the modern world has made access to this exciting journey much easier, not everyone can do it, and the results are hard to measure.
A round-the-world trip is never a trivial act
Witness the high number of candidates who fail in this project and never manage to recross their own wake in the other direction. Far be it from me to claim that this is some kind of exploit. There are many crews who make magnificent journeys. They do what Éric Tabarly poetically called " du bateau joli "without forcing ourselves to ".. do the long loop ". However, completing a full circumnavigation is something else entirely.
A world tour, what a wonderful trip!
The alternating sea and land phases represent the different movements of a delightful symphony of life. Allegro passages, in a rough sea excited by a vigorous trade wind, are followed by more delicate episodes, brimming with humanity and humor, to be savored at the port of call like so many minuets, tempo moderato.
A crossing always provides a rare level of symbiosis and intimacy with the sailor's Holy Trinity: the wind, the sea and the boat.
And then soon, almost too soon sometimes, despite the well-being of the open sea, comes the sedentary break. Then it's time for communal aperitifs and other expressions of friendship.
Varied difficulties and dream ports of call
I'm talking about the confrontation (I should have said the encounter...) with the other. The unknown, the "different", the one for whom the stranger is us! The feeling of being in need of hospitality is permanent and even insistent for the maritime traveler. We are intruders who must be admitted. This situation contrasts sharply with that of the vacationer who gets off the plane after a few hours' sleep and heads for his air-conditioned hotel. The sailor, on the other hand, comes from an other world called the sea, merciless and ruthless. Either you understand and accept its rules. Or we've misjudged it, and the passage has probably been more painful. Either way, when you arrive, you're in others . Africa, America, Asia, Oceania, we're rarely in a French territory. And that's kind of the point.
For a flirtation around the world by boat
A round-the-world ocean cruise is like a flirtation on a sailboat, with some forty countries. You'll discover very different cultures and social habits, but you'll need to plan sufficiently long stopovers to have enough time to get to know each other.
As you cross, learning to live close to nature allows you to savor the subtle taste of slowness, which is the guarantee of a quality of life that is largely forgotten, yet so precious. And then it's back to the sweet, delicate fragrances of small, intimate victories. Like this conclusion: " We did itâeuros! It was goodâeuros! And how good it feels nowâeuros! ". But beware of addiction. One round-the-world trip quickly leads to another. And no one is safe from a repeat offence, because life doesn't offer a plethora of experiences of this intensity.
