© Anne Quemere
Four months before the Great Launch. The Challenge is showing its true structure as each and everyone shapes it on a daily basis.
The stress increases from one day to the next as I regularly check the launch date, hoping to pick up an extra week or two that I could have forgotten. No such luck as L-Day is set for the end of October or early November. I must deal with the days and weeks available, relying on very short nights, hoping for a stroke of genius which has yet to hit me!
There is a lot of nervousness in the air. Those that assist me are somewhat worried regardless of the fact that this is not my first ocean going trip. Worries stem from the unknown brought about by this Challenge. The crossing will not be easy and the different weather patterns are much more complex than those encountered on the Atlantic Ocean.
My dedicated weatherman, Jean-Francois Bonnin wrote a piece on this subject and you can find it on the "2008 Challenge" page under the British Flag/Challenge/Weather.
The good news really is the fact that the wind has returned to the Baie de Quiberon and I can leave the paperwork behind, allowing me to practice on the water and concentrate on the choice of sail. The die is cast but I truly want to tryout the 15 knot winds from here to the week-end, allowing me to confirm my choices. It's the same thing for the kites that I tried out with my two feet anchored in the ground. My heels still ache!
The OceanKite is headed for dry dock after the Brest Festival where I'm invited to sail from July 11th to the 17th.
In other words, no holidays for me this summer. I'll think about it next year...
Thanks to Olivier Lescanne's support, everything starts with one small drop of water in this world of strange and passionate people.
