Isabelle Autissier: "On the Vendée Globe, you belong to the ocean"

Racing on the Vendée Globe is something huge, a superb story. I contested a complicated edition with loads of drama, a skipper was lost (Gerry Roufs)… I broke a rudder, I stopped in South Africa, I gave up, I still set off again and I climbed back to second place in the Vendée Globe. I was welcomed as if I had really finished. For these people that is what is important. Beyond the purely sporting performance, there is a spirit in this race, the element of human adventure which is specific to the Vendée Globe.

For sailors it is about giving yourself up to the ocean, it's exceptional. You stop living like on land, you stop thinking about your problems of land. All the time you have the feeling of doing something extraordinary, the certainty of being in a different environment and having your eyes opened 24 hours a day. And above all, you belong to the ocean. You don't dictate the rules. The elements guide you, you try to find your way in this reality. And that's magical.

The impact of climate change is massive, especially in cold places which change very quickly. There are repercussions on the fauna and flora. For example, now it's starting to rain in Antarctica. However baby penguins are not equipped for rain: if they get wet, they die when it freezes. Some years nearly 80% of their population die because of this. And that's just one of the consequences of what we're seeing.

Yes, they are “oases” of biodiversity. They are among the rare places in the world where animals don’t know that humans are dangerous. It’s exceptional: if you don’t make any noise, you can sit in the heart of a penguin colony, they will come and peck at your boots…

It has to be protected and that is precisely the work of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. We are responsible for a few islands (Kerguelen, Crozet, Amsterdam and Saint-Paul). We have made all these areas “reserves”, the highest level of protection and we are working to protect them, in particular by fighting against invasive species. For example, we recently carried out the rodent and cat eradication on Amsterdam Island, which were essential to protect bird species that are only present on this island.

Parce qu’on tombe dedans ! Notre culture de marin est faite d'histoires des cap-horniers, des mers du sud, de Moitessier, des trois-mâts et on a envie de s’y confronter. Quand on est là-bas, c’est d’une beauté à tomber par terre. Il y a la lumière qui est rasante, un ciel et des nuages qu’on a nulle part ailleurs et puis les grosses vagues, les déferlantes… On y côtoie de la faune sauvage, des baleines, des albatros, des orques. Et puis humainement il y a le sentiment d’être non seulement seul mais loin. Thomas Pesquet, quand il est dans la station spatiale internationale, est plus proche que n’importe qui d’autres parce qu’il est à 400 km et les autres sont à 3000 km !  

Ah non pas du tout ! (rires) Je comprends Jean mais j’avais décidé dès le début de ne faire qu’un seul Vendée Globe. Je savais que je voulais faire autre chose. Quand on est engagé dans la course au large, il faut l’être à 120%. Ça a été mon cas pendant 15 ans et ça m’a éclaté. Et à un moment, je me suis jurée de faire autre chose. Je n’ai jamais voulu faire les choses à moitié. Mais à tous ceux qui participent au Vendée Globe, je leur dis : « allez-y, faites-vous plaisir ! »  

*TAAF : Terres australes et antarctiques françaises