Fabrice Amedeo: "A feeling of eternity came to me.”

Yes well it was a long Vendée Globe. I didn't set out for that but that's also the magic of the ocean and the magic of the Vendée Globe. I realized pretty quickly that the boat wasn't ready, that I wasn't ready either. In the Indian Ocean, I was too cautious and I continued to lose days afterwards. Afterwards, the final objective was achieved: I managed to complete the Vendée Globe two years after being shipwrecked (in the Route du Rhum editor's note) and that is a big win for me.
 

Yes, of course. I was able to take scientific measurements, sail around the world without fossil fuels... Of course my race time is long but it was a great experience. During all this time a feeling of eternity of being able to go on forever entered my head, it was crazy! I experienced something different, powerful and just as exhilarating as my two previous Vendée Globes.
 

It’s true that there were times when the days went by but the miles didn’t go by very much. It’s a real fight, you have to accept it. Eight years ago, I went out there “super cool” and it took me 103 days. Now I went there “less cool” and it took me longer. I made less ambitious choices of routing than eight years ago. I also find that the ocean has changed a little, nature is more unpredictable than before, probably because of global warming. It’s more unstable, there are more squalls, it’s harder to sail solo. For skippers like me that made me cautious 
 

I learned that I was capable of being patient. I am someone who is quite impatient, restless, always with desires, projects... There, I managed to leave the temporality of the earth to really be in the temporality of the Vendée Globe. Above all, you must not project yourself.
 

There were moments of pleasure but this year the ocean was difficult and there were few rewards. Yesterday was one: I was approaching the Brittany coast, I had the impression of smelling the scents of Brittany, there was a magnificent sunset, a fisherman nearby... In my life, I have had many moments of happiness but joy is rare. And yesterday, I had an ecstatic joy, a strong and incredible joy. I was back home and I was heading towards Les Sables d'Olonne.
 

There is a real strong relationship between the skippers. I have very good friends in ocean racing and they are part of it. In 2016, we had a good time with Arnaud Boissières, we wrote each other emails and we became friends. There, I discovered Manuel Cousin with whom we spoke on WhatsApp. We helped each other, we wished each other good luck when it was stormy, we discussed our personal lives…

 

Yes Denis is still on the water and I think about him a lot, he deserves a lot of credit. Being last ranked is not really an issue. For me, I am a finisher. I am a former journalist and I have now managed to complete two Vendée Globes in my life, it is huge. I am the 32nd sailor to have finished more than one Vendée Globe… The objective has been achieved and I am very happy about it!