“I was super stressed, I thought the boat was going to break into several pieces”: Guirec Welded on the edge of breaking point in the Vendée Globe

Guirec Soudée a perdu beaucoup de temps dans la tempête qu’il a traversée. MAXPPP – Joël le Gall/Ouest-France

Distanced more than 4,500 miles from the leader, Guirec Soudée (Freelance.com) experienced hell after a lull in the Kerguelen Islands, where he nearly ran aground…

Guirec Soudée (Freelance.com), 29th (out of 36) in the Vendée Globe, more than 4,500 miles behind the leader, recounted in a new logbook on Saturday his difficult stay in the Kerguelen Islands to repair his sailboat damaged by the storms of the far South.

“I have just passed Cape Leeuwin in Australia and the conditions are more pleasant, with a less rough sea. Last week, I took a first storm head on which caused quite a bit of damage to the boat, particularly to a sail.

I was greeted by panda dolphins

I decided to go and take shelter in the Kerguelen Islands to climb the mast and make repairs. There is a lot of seaweed there, it was a real nightmare to move forward. But it was also a place I had always dreamed of seeing. I was greeted by panda dolphins – small, black and white – and dozens of birds, including quite a few albatrosses.

It was magnificent, even if the navigation was a real headache, the topography is quite poorly detailed. After having skirted the north-east coast to find a slightly calmer place, I climbed to the top of the mast. But between the seaweed in my rudders and the gusts at 35 knots, the boat began to list. I was only a few miles from the coast!

If I had a problem in the mast and I got stuck there a little too long, I would have run aground in the Kerguelen Islands

Within twenty minutes, if I had a problem in the mast and I got stuck there a little too long, I would have run aground in the Kerguelen Islands. I had almost no margin for error. I had in mind the story of Bernard Stamm (in 2008, editor’s note) who decided to stop here and lost his boat there… Fortunately, I managed to fix my sail problem in time.

New storm

Then I had to choose: either I would stay stuck for two days in the Kerguelen Islands, or I would set off again to face another fairly violent storm. I chose the second option, but I was immediately hit by violent winds, with gusts of over 70 knots (over 130 km/h, editor’s note) and waves of over ten metres. It was really hot.

I reached several points of over 30 knots, I couldn’t slow the boat down, it was overspeeding all the time. I was super stressed, I thought the boat was going to break into several pieces. When I got my head out of the water, I realised that I had lost a lot of distance on my competitors. To withstand the storm, I stayed under-canvassed.

I hurt my thighs from banging on the rigging

Before the Kerguelens, I was side by side with Louis Duc, and after this new storm, I was 600 miles behind. I had to climb the mast two or three more times to fix sail problems. It really exhausted me, and I hurt my thighs from banging on the rigging.

Between the climbs, the gale and the swell, I was exhausted. But after a few days of rest, I was finally able to send back some canvas and set off again at good speed. In hindsight, I think that strategically, I perhaps should not have stopped on these islands. But I am so glad I did. Now, I can say that I saw them, and it will remain engraved in my memory.”