“Tired, skippers are more likely to fall, on board or even overboard”: Vendée Globe sailors exhausted by the storm

Sébastien Simon, deuxième de la course, traverse la tempête au milieu de l'Océan indien. MAXPPP – Franck Dubray

Ils dorment 4 à 6 heures par jour : à cause de la tempête, le sommeil est "un axe de performance" pour les navigateurs. 

Charlie Dalin (Macif), leading the Vendée Globe since Monday, continued to head towards Cape Leeuwin in Australia, the exit point of the Indian Ocean, on Saturday, and increased his lead over his closest pursuer, Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), who was nearly 300 nautical miles behind. At the 7 o'clock position, the Norman was sailing as close as possible to the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (AEZ), drawn by the organisation to avoid collisions with icebergs, in seas that were still as rough as ever with 6-metre waves and water that was still as cool as ever (6 degrees).

Ranking of the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe on Saturday at 7 o'clock

1. Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance) 14,258.95 nautical miles from the finish
2. Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) 290.49 miles from the leader
3. Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) at 533.53 min
4. Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable) at 637.11 min
5. Jérémie Beyou (Charal) at 1,026.90 min
6. Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) at 1,039.92 min
7. Nicolas Lunven (Holcim – PRB) at 1,064.56 min
8. Paul Meilhat (Biotherm) at 1,088.67 minN
9. Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq V) at 1,134.02 min
10. Justine Mettraux (Teamwork-Team Snef) at 1,401.20 min …
38. Szabolcs Weöres (New Europe) at 5,221.86 min
Withdrawals: Maxime Sorel (V and B-Monbana-Mayenne), Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée)

Falling deeply asleep during the day or night, in increments of a few minutes, between two alarms and shaking the waves: sleep management is a “fundamental performance axis” for Vendée Globe skippers, on which their physical and mental acuity depends.

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From his sailboat, Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) explains on the phone that he worked for five years with a specialist to analyze which “external stimuli” most disturbed his sleep: “diet, bedtime, light…” “By respecting my routines, I can quickly get into deep sleep. I sleep between 4 and 5 hours a day, but it's quality sleep”, says the skipper, who began his first Vendée Globe, a non-stop, solo round-the-world race on November 10 assistance.

For his part, Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) tries to sleep “between 40 and 60 minutes at a time, depending on the moment”. “I try to sleep more at night but it depends on the conditions, it's not always possible. You also have to take naps during the day, it's good for the body. But there are also times when my body doesn't like sleeping too much, like the morning, the middle of the afternoon”, says the British woman.

At the helm of increasingly fast, incredibly noisy and very physically demanding boats, the Vendée Globe skippers sleep on average 4 to 6 hours per 24 hours. In principle, they divide their rest time between “long cycles”, from 45 minutes to two hours, and naps of 15 to 20 minutes started “as soon as possible”, explains Laure Jacolot, race doctor. But the more difficult the weather conditions, the more chaotic the skippers' sleep rhythm can be.

Sleep management is nevertheless a “fundamental performance axis”, emphasizes Laure Jacolot, and this for several reasons. “There is concentration and decision-making: being in a mental state at all times that allows you to make the right choices, to analyze data correctly. There is physical fitness and the impact that a sleep debt can have on the metabolism. And then safety: when tired, skippers have slower reflexes and are more likely to fall, on board or even overboard”, explains Laure Jacolot.

in,ertre

On his boat, Charlie Dalin (Macif) has installed a brand new mattress, made to his measurements, lined with cushions that stabilize his body and whose inclination can be adjusted when his sailboat is leaning. Raising his arm, he reaches for the mouse on his on-board computer in one go.“It's not that difficult to sleep, but it's difficult to get quality sleep. There's the adrenaline, the alarms, the carbon of the boat transmitting vibrations, the very cold or very hot temperatures in the living area”, explained Charlie Dalin before the start.

At sea, you can lose your lucidity about the fact that you need to sleep

He and seven other skippers worked ahead of this new edition with mattress manufacturer Bultex to develop berths “that meet their needs and are adapted to their sailboats”, explains Francis Brême, head of development of the sign.

“When the quantity of sleep is not there, it is its quality that is important. The sailors we work with have noticed that they recover better and faster, and with more deep sleep, by lying down than by sleeping on a beanbag for example”, adds Doctor François Duforez, who works with the skippers and the manufacturer. And despite “the maneuvers, the weather analyses, the degraded conditions”, be careful not to neglect your need for rest, says Charlie Dalin: “At sea, you can lose your lucidity about the fact that you need to sleep. It is essential to move forward to keep the right rhythm.”