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News from the route |
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The
following text is via computer translation program, so expect some minor
inaccuracies. |
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October 10th, 8.15am,
Orly Airport, Paris Maud arrived at Orly Airport and was greeted by her parents, friends, Ocean rower Gerard d'Aboville, Speaker of The House Jean-Francois Cope, Kenneth F.Crutchlow, media/press and a crowd of about 100 well-wishers . Maison de Radio France, 11.00am There was a press-conference attended by about 200 press and others. Gerard d'Aboville read a letter of congratulations from The President of the Republic Jacques Chirac addressed to Maud. Kenneth F. Crutchlow also congratulated Maud and confirmed Maud as the first woman to successfully row The Atlantic from West to East; Maud's crossing is added to the ORS statistics as the 101st successful row. Maud then addressed those present for about an hour, at the end of which she recieved a standing ovation |
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October
9th
Maud arrived this night at
4 o'clock at
La Coruña
after 117 days, 14 hours and 10 minutes of rowing!! Before she tells us
herself about the last hours of her voyage, she makes a point of cordially
thanking all those who helped her and who helped her team on land during
these last hours, in particular BIG THANKS TO: |
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October 8th This morning, as soon as
the sky was cleared after the night storm, Maud FINALLY could distinguish
LAND
under the large clouds. SUPER!!! At present (22h) Maud is obviously in the night, facing the lights of La Coruña port. It's her second sllepless night in a row. She waits for somebody to find a solution - not to let her land by her ownn... At the request of Mr Jean
François Copé, Mr Dominique de Villepint dispatched a French Navy boat to
join Maud in order to protect her from the cargo liners.
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October 7th A true horror. Maud rowed all night long. The activ-echo radar did not stop signaling; cargo ships everywhere! The night did not arrange anything, it just made the situation more difficult. Three of them passed very closely to PILOT, including one in less than 30 meters at more than 15 knots. VIVEMENT L'ARRIVEE... let's
hope, tomorrow, and than shortly to Paris. |
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October 6th It's a hard day: Maud is
TIRED. She has sore back and buttocks. This morning, she has given all her
energy to advance towards the East, but the wind and the waves push her to
the South. The ground of Spain approaches with great strides. Maud
believes to feel the wonderful odor of paella, but remains anxious: she
wouldn't like to approach the coasts along with strong winds. |
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October 5th Another night to suffer
from the attacks of the wind and waves. Maud doesn't manage any more to
maintain PILOT in latitude, she descends a bit more south each day and
there is no chance that the winds pass to the South. |
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October 4th The sky is gray, it rains
from time to time, it's cold, a true autumnal day to stay indoors. Maud
still rows eastwards... in fact south-eastwards, unfortunately, because of
the north wind. |
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October 3rd ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
WARNING TO ALL NET SURFERS: Let us proclaim weather sites, programmed
not to forecast western winds, NOT trustworthy. Let us repeat: Be
extremely vigilant - don't you trust them, even if you want to see Miss
Maud arriving soon! |
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October 2nd Day 111 was similar to
three preceding.
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October 1st The sombre melancholy which
had submerged the boat yesterday is flown away at daybreak at the time
when the wind, which became considerably stronger and held Maud on her
feet during the night, calmed down. The storm also gave up the spirit
early in the morning. The sky bit by bit became less black and the sea
more tolerable. |
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September 30th Maud spends the day
shivering under the rain. First of all, having no more spare clothes it
isn't really funny to be soaked to the bones, then the situation doesn't
get better when she returns (from time to time) to the cabin to warm
herself up, because despite all precautions there's so little space that
nothing prevents her jacket from draining a little everywhere. |
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September 29th Maud got a migraine after
hitting... the partition by her head. If she would have been on land,
someone generous at heart would have surely put his broad hand over her
forehead to relieve it. But there, in the middle of the Atlantic, she's
all alone, and nothing nor anybody comes to calm her pain. This loneliness
stresses her terribly. |
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September 28th 8th day on a drift anchor. |
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September 27th
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September 26th Yesterday in the evening
the wind started to turn, Maud finally could breath. Happy of having this
possibility, she started to row. |
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September 25th I M moving forward, if the
winds forecast proves true. |
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September 24th Once again, silence fell
down on the small boat. Everything around seems to be painted in a uniform
and sad granite gray. Sun didn't show up during the day. So everything
remained wet and cold. These long minutes, hours and days of waiting for
winds to turn, when nothing comes to distract her, add nothing to her
despair to see the arrival. The motto was clear since the first day: keep
smiling, though it costs some. |
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September 23rd to Pierre Lasnier, my dear meteorologist, who, unfortunately, is never mistaken. It is the morning, Maud
opens her eyes. She suffered from pain in the back during the night. The
boat did not cease jumping on the waves, it's very cold and twice she had
to get up as the cargo liners passed next to PILOT. |
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September 22nd Brief summary of the
situation on board PILOT: didn't inform you last week for not to worry
you, but Maud seriously cut her foot; it seems nevertheless that thanks to
Betadine morning and evening, that goes better. |
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September 21st This exchange of smiles, these few words of live voice over the noise of the wind, this boat in a few meters from her (and what a beautiful boat is this SILL!!) - Maud lengthily reconsidered it. That was really fabulous. She was impressed by the
dexterity with which Bilou maneuver his 60 feet. Since he left her, Maud
feels really lonely. She wants terribly to return to the world. This short
visit left a real feeling of 'too brief' and awoke in her insatiable
desires of hugs and kisses. |
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September 20th Once upon a time,
PILOT and Maud, without fresh water, in the Atlantic... |
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September 19th As you could probably
imagine, the life becomes very difficult on board PILOT. The consumption
of sea water isn't really a pleasure and causes digestion problems to our
oarswoman. The sporting challenge was gradually transformed into a test of
survival at sea. |
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September 18th This time, the situation
becomes really critical: the 2nd desalinisator, that of survival, is not
functioning any more. The 2 legs retaining the axis being used to actuate
the handle broke. It was just what Maud needed to face! What a galley!
While waiting, STRICT
RESTRICTIONS applied. |
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September 17th The sun is not raised yet,
Maud doesn't sleep when her Active Echo Radar sounds. Head in the bubble,
she looks at the cargo liner which crosses her course. The night is so
dark that all she can discern are liner's side-lights which - like
fireflies - seem to dance in the night at the rhythm of the waves. And yet, God only knows how
TERRIBLY she misses the land and its pleasures! |
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September 16th Regardless of the
forecasts, the winds are always contrary. Maud looks at her small
watermaker and wonders how much longer will it be able to stand. This
water history does not cease worrying her. And was the problem with old
one just a water flow stopped by the barnacles? |
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September 15th The weather conditions
remain the same but Maud regained her usual good spirits. Fortunately the
blues of yesterday was only momentary and the few sunbeams which filtered
today were enough to bring the smile back on her face.
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September 14th PILOT is on sea anchor to
move back the least possible. Maud, sitting in the cockpit, with her look
lost in the watery waste. Throughout the day, she observes the sea to be
formed gradually and this impetuous east wind grow stronger from hour to
hour. Her terrible impotence in this situation makes her melancholic. |
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September 13th The weather forecasts are bad. On the menu: days of wind from East plus the sky covered by a gray cloudy cluster depriving the boat of the sunlight. The moral of the troops gets lower. Maud tries to remain the most stoical possible. Groaning would change nothing. It is necessary to have patience and avoid thinking of too close arrival. After all, there's still some food remaining, the manual desalinisator works fine, the interior of PILOT starts to dry and she haven't met a container ship for days. What is certain, it is that the winds always end up turning back. Then, if Eole hoped to intimidate or to discourage her - NO WAY! |
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September 12th This anticyclone becomes a
bit aggravating. In the night PILOT moved back again. Maud feels like
captured in the trap. It's easy to say with the smile "she was never
so close to the land", but it feels well that the winds and the
currents tend to lead her towards Morocco. Obviously the Spanish coasts
are not more than in 180 nautical miles, but the closer she approaches,
the more risk to be struck by the "Great South" increases.
What's good in making the big loop! |
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September 10th Today there's nothing to
see on the horizon but the thick vapour cloud prohibiting any access to
the sun. Neither Charming Prince, nor a beautiful white boat, not even a
coast within range of sight. Nothing of nothing, but the vastness of the
ocean which, today (what a snake?), undulates calmly southward. The PILOT
remains insulated, captive of its anticyclonic bubble. |
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September 9th The boat is currently in an anticyclonic bubble, the sky has reappeared and the atmosphere has been heated just a little bit up: a treat… It is true that our Miss seriously starts to be cold, especially at night, but with that wet interior there is nothing she can realy do. At midday, Maud thus benefits from these sunrays to wash herself with sea water. The head winds weakening, Maud redoubles efforts on her oars. It is necessary to catch up with the distance lost yesterday. The clouds being very few, present Maud a hope for to-night, that while pumping her daily quota of water, she would be able to enjoy beautiful sun going to bed behind the horizon. |
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September 8th Josephine decided that from now it would not separate any more from its helmet. Any way, Maud never makes use of it (of the bowl): it is all the advantage of the freeze-dried food which is eaten directly from the bag. This morning, after a very difficult night, the winds are still very strong, they turn without scruple to sector NE, what is no good at all for returning home very quickly . Maud tears off the hair. This unstable weather becomes a true torment. Trying to remain Zen as much as possible, she pulls Marcus Aurelius out from under her pillow. The Meditations, Book IV, Thought XLIX "Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it". Doesn't it make you to await the delivery wisely? Besides that the sky is gray, there are rains from time to time, but as the cockpit is endlessly submerged by the waves, it is impossible to collect anything not salted... |
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September 7th 35 knots wind, 5 m waves, 2 upsettings, 1 sleepless night to asphyxiate inside the cabin and always the same anguish to make you catch a jaundice: to see the boat dislocated by the floods. This evening and tomorrow, the forecasts are worse and complete to break on the 9th, what could have been a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Maud clings to her dreams about voyages and children. Trying not to let herself be depressed, she goes with her thoughts to Land. She remembers the freshness of the tiling under the feet, the odor of the apple tart that she cooks, the voices of people whom she loves, her joggings in forest breathing the scents of the flowers and the trees, the pleasure of slipping into a clean tee-shirt which smells the soupline good, the tap from where water runs with profusion when you open it; a few minutes without the din of the beachcombers and these painful ceaseless movements... Storm is reinforced already, the boat has just now been on its side, the log-book made a gliding flight towards the kettle and Maud cannot find her pencil anymore. PILOT lowers the head courageously, it passes from the peak to the trough of the waves while trembling, one would believe that it rolls on gravel. Its pace accelerates unceasingly, as if it hurried so that the next hill is finally the last. |
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"Capsizings: Gerard d' Aboville compares them with a car accident. Personally, I roll... That very prudently would resemble rather in my eyes with the feeling of being at the edge of sea, when you are embarked in a roller which strikes you to half and which you do not manage to leave: you are lost, you choke, that happens very quickly, but panic has nevertheless time to gain you" |
September 6th
The sky is covered, it starts to be very dark, and the sea assembles and takes a steel colour. The envisaged strong gale is approaching. Maud apprehends, her belly is tightened. Admittedly, she knows what to expect now, it is not her first depression, but this time it is different, her body is still very painful, PILOT suffered much, and then morally, that starts to be too much. In vain she tries to be most positive, as dynamic and enthusiastic as possible - it becomes too difficult after being at sea for 86 days of loneliness and rowing; she is very tired and she really would like to hasten all that has to be finished. Perfectly conscious of the risks, she pays more possible attention, remembering at every moment that there is always a hand for oneself, then only after, a hand for the boat. It is justified with each stroke of oar because prudence today is essential, especially to remain the least long possible at sea. It is true that the weather has not been always sympathetic since the beginning, but it is still regarded nevertheless as lucky being in track... Your positive waves must be there for something!! She crosses her fingers so that that lasts, even though she has to pump a good part of the night, that goes well like that. Josephine on its side is rather content, it will be its first storm inside, it made a bed in the shoes of Maud (Marine Pool, of course) and a super helmet with a bowl. Maud is ready. Something's going to happen pretty soon pretty soon. |
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September 5th
It is approximately
3 o'clock in the morning when somebody knocks suddenly in the roof of
the cabin: "No, PILOT, it is not yet the hour to get up, it is
necessary to await the sun..." No answer. Maud decides to raise her
head and to open an eye. PILOT sleeps deeply. Randomly, she thus
launches half asleep: "ENTER! ". Great silence again. She
surely has to sleep on... |
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September 4th
Still one more new
departure... This morning when looking at her chart, Maud noted that
today she is within the same distance from the coast as approximately 12
days ago... and in addition much more south. The storm has really been
frightening. This wonderful chart (she tries not to look at it too
often) has become a source of constant pain - to see the coast which
does not approach at all. Spain seems to be closer than France, but at
the present time it is still too early to have any chance to predict
where PILOT will arrive. New depressions have been forecasted, and who
knows where they will push PILOT to! Maud thus concentrates over each
day that passes, being essential for a possible rhythm of life to be
more organized, trying to row her maximum and still refusing to make
forecasts for arrival date - disappointment would be too big! |
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September 3rd
Good news: Maud succeeds
in repairing a ballast pump. It's not yet perfect, but at least it does
function. As for the desalinator, unfortunately, the problem remains the
same .She is thus destined to spend hours to pump sitted side saddle on
bow of PILOT. She would like to make some reserves. In the swell it is
not obvious, but this will be even less when the weather gets bad. This
question of water is of primary importance and could - can you just
imagine it ? - force Maud to give up. Then, though it is a real galley
to row and to PUMP, that does not have any importance; which is
fundamental is that this apparatus of back up does not let her down as
well . |
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September 2nd
Maud is riveted to her oars…In vain she puts all her determination at it and all her desire to be back on land as quick as possible, the results are pitiful: PILOT keeps moving back. The weather remains the same. To add the fact that she must be just in the middle of the shipping line : cargo liners do not stop passing right under the nose of the boat. This night, when one of them came close to the boat, the active echo radar sounding and the fires of PILOT scintillating could change nothing. Let her leave this zone at last! All the day, Josephine makes a small altar in the honour of the Big God Eole. To be certain that it is effective, each member of the crew sacrifices a valuable object. PILOT thus gives up its tuba (the mask, it is out of question), Josephine yields some of its essential oils for the bath, and Maud offers the small beeswax candle that Jean Jacques D. gave her, and her last but one sachet of freeze-dried couscous. The offerings are in balance on the bubble and Josephine spends all its time relighting the candle. We cross the fingers and pray that that does not take too much time. |
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August 20th This morning, it was
nobody else but PILOT, who woke Maud up so early. She had hardly enough
time to pull a sweater on, and went out in the cockpit. The sun rose,
the sky was a soft clear mixture of pink and tender blue. There were
however places, in totally opposite direction, of some large black
clouds which seemed to be the guards of these innocent colours. But it
was not for that seascape, that PILOT had extirpated Maud of her berth:
thus leaving her contemplation, she realized that the winds were gently
turning. It was almost too wonderful to believe and it was necessary to
benefit from it without delay. Having quickly brushed her teeth ,
without even having any breakfast (there are no more cereals on board),
Maud was ready to meet a new day of row! About midday, PILOT shouted
that Josephine did not manage to follow them any more and into the
bargain Maud started to feel a bad pain in her arms. |
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August 19th
THE HEAD WINDS KEEP
BLOWING! Maud decides to have a meeting with her team in order to find
quickly a solution to the problem. They thus gather, all the three,
around the cockpit. It is Josephine, which proposes its plan the first;
lengthily it observed the clouds, it does not have any doubt that they
advance much more quickly than the boat. It is thus simple: just
necessary to catch one of them with a lasso and to let them be involved.
PILOT and Maud shake their heads admiring, but quickly PILOT finds the
fault: and if they cling to a cloud of bad omen which will drag them in
the opposite direction?... Ah, it had not thought of it! |
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August 18th Precisely, The WINDS ARE EAST! PILOT seems to be twice heavier than usually... or, perhaps, its oars have just shrunk… In short, the fact is that the boat does not manage to advance. PILOT, persuaded that it has got mixed up in a net, again puts on the mask it used to have at the Big Bank off Newfoundland. Maud wonders even if they are not moving back. Fast glance at the GPS; no, it is just 3 hours that she has rowed and the boat is at the same position!! What to be done??? PILOT has an idea: it sends Josephine, armed with the prettiest smile, to negotiate with the Wind. Half an hour later, it returns with no result: the Wind even condescended to open the door to her, shouting even through the window that if they were not content, they had to only go and see his cousin the Hurricane! Eh well, the situation is not amusing. Breton coasts are still far from being in sight. Maud thus goes back to the oars, rowing twice as hard and hoping the whole day long that the wind finally turns. |
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August 17th Yesterday evening the sky was entirely covered, the sea agitated, and the waves came to cherish the horizon. Maud rowed while waiting for the sunset to complete the night. At this moment something very particular occurred. In ten minutes a stringcourse of light was done between the horizon and the vapour cloud. The sky between had quite simply opened on the height of immense and majestic sun which then started his dive towards the ocean. |
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It looked as an eye which had suddenly opened. The pupil was of an attractive orange yellow. It released power, magnetism and a so sharp light, that it forced Maud to lower the glance. Its contour was red fire and illuminated the horizon on more than 180°. PILOT and Maud were watching it in silence. What a bewitching spectacle!! The eye looked at them intensely, fixing PILOT which traced its way towards the East. The sea splashing it, one would have sworn that it cried. The Force seemed to want to leave anonymity. Then the glance seemed to be tired, the eyelid fell down gently; the sky had been closed again, leaving the place only with a mystery, a dream and perhaps with a very long reflection on (so small) - what are we? |
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August 16th All the night the head
wind did not cease, becoming stronger up to 30-35 knots. PILOT vibrated
inordinately, as if thousands of balls rolled on it from above. Inside
the cabin it was like a swarm of bees, that was buzzing without
slackening. Impossible to close the eyes. Maud rolled in her berth from
one edge to another, and her eyes did not leave the bubble, that
powerful and noisy waves were covering violently in persistent order.
The night was very dark, the only light was that of the face of her
watch fixed on one of the handles. It was 2.46 a.m. |
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August 15th Whereas this morning the sea had almost become beautiful, nobody knows why in the afternoon head winds from 20 to 25 knots suddenly started to blow. Maud tightened her harness and redoubled effort on the oars, wearing the hands and the buttocks more and more. The boat seems to be in a very disturbed zone. It is almost impossible to know what to expect in the next two hours: the forecasts are contradictive. |
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August 14th IT SET OUT AGAIN! When
Maud woke up, PILOT had been taken by storm by a thick fog. This misty
weather, she knew it too well, when it had been keeping her for one
month on the Big Bank off Newfoundland. There was nothing to be done, it
was necessary to be patient. Imperturbably she thus laid a narrow path
to grope her way towards the East; the wind, blowing on 25 knots,
enabled her to end up doing the housework. And then at midday sound off
was heard and the fog retreated. The only memories remaining of the
storm were heavy, grey and woolly clouds which, fallen on the horizon,
constituted like a thick scarf between the ocean and the pale blue sky.
A strong swell persisted (3 m); but the sea had finally gotten rid of
its frozen dye. The migraines of the almighty power have disappeared and
made it possible for the sun to scintillate again. |
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August 13th
Ouf, once more PILOT has pulled through. Gently the fever fell. The force of the monster seems now completely exhausted. The sky took off its dark and lugubrious veil and overlapped with thick and opaque whitish cover. The sun thus remained hidden all the day. The sea kept a colour of steel and a weak head wind blows on the boat. Maud is released from her cage and crawls to take some air in the cockpit. Her back hurts, it is painful to get up. Exhausted and weary, she does not want to move, and the last 48 hours have made her dumb. But the oars awaiting her, she feels obliged nevertheless to start with some exercises, then she prepares a freeze-dried fish meal.
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August 12th The ocean really seems to
suffer, a prey to terrible convulsions. It howls of pain, struggles more
and more, creating an appalling froth. It is in fact its cries that made
the day disappear. In its rage, it ordered to be left alone and on the
other hand decided to paint all the rest in black. In its outburst, it
unfortunately involved PILOT, which did not have time to flee. Riding on
these dangerous liquid mountains, the frail boat undergoes its cruelty
at full. Pushed by the winds she descends the slopes and every moment
risks to be swallowed by the floods. She twists under the pressure of
the waves. Maud, captive of this monster in madness, seems to have
become its puppet: shaken, knocked, exhausted, she is unable to defend
herself. But the situation being almost intolerable, still worsened: a
violent shock made PILOT tremble through all her length; she had just
knocked something heavy. Maud had at once the belly tied by the anguish
to see her boat sinking in full storm. A deaf noise resounded again;
Maud, the head in the bubble, trying to bore the darkness to understand
what was happening, saw the boat to have escaped an enormous tree trunk
(3 m length approximately). |
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August 11th The sky was covered
gradually, becoming increasingly dark. It would have been said that a
fate made it be transformed into stone. The sun initially had been
veiled then completely extinguished. A strange force seemed to make flee
during the day. The ocean had started to shiver. PILOT, as posed on a
monster waking up, trembled more and more extremely. Maud, equipped with
her harness and her life line, observed, concerned, the liquid element
to become anthracite. With her hands burning she tried to advance to the
maximum towards the East. Deep in her mind she resided surely the hope
to deviate from this depression which sank on her. However, she knew it
well, the situation evolved/moved well too quickly; the fate was
inevitable. The wind had already turned to South East. It now whipped
the stem of PILOT which did not manage any more to maintain its course.
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August 10th
"That which rules
within, when it is according to nature, is so affected with respect to
the events which happen, that it always easily adapts itself to that
which is and is presented to it. For it requires no definite material,
but it moves towards its purpose, under certain conditions however; and
it makes a material for itself out of that which opposes it, as fire
lays hold of what falls into it, by which a small light would have been
extinguished: but when the fire is strong, it soon appropriates to
itself the matter which is heaped on it, and consumes it, and rises
higher by means of this very material." Marcus Aurelius, The
Meditations. Book IV. |
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August 9th Forecast announces a strong depression to approach Maud. The winds should gain strength up to 35 knots. Our oarswoman thus arranges the maximum in her cockpit to prepare for a possible capsizing. She picked up some stock of food supplements from the storage compartment, because the storm is likely to last until Tuesday. The winds are envisaged East and North-East; Maud knows that it will move her back. She tries to take that with the best possible philosophy. |
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August 8th
Maud started to calm down
on her oars, when, giving her a start, PILOT howled:" Shark on
starboard! " A black and powerful mass of the predator silently approached. The animal was between 4 and 5 m length; next to as small PILOT, it was impressive. When it was very close, it plunged under the boat in a sharp movement. Maud would have had only to stretch her hand to touch its aileron. It passed very close to the hull, touching it with the fin, making boat to vibrate under the feet of our oarswoman. In a trice Maud picked up one of the oars, and with muscles strained, she got ready to defend herself. Reappeared on other side, it started to circle aggressively around the boat. Its round, shining and lugubrious eye reflected a worrying mixture of force and self-confidence. On the foot of war, fixed well in her cockpit, attentive to her least movements, our Miss was not reassured too much. She reconsidered at the day when, in the Gulf Stream, under an extreme sun, she had wanted to bathe! The monster, seemingly not knowing from which end to attack, tried a last intimidation while raising the head; then, in a moment, it disappeared as it had come in the depths of the ocean. Maud expected to see it reappearing, but time passed on and it did not return. Her back started to
slacken, her hands to relax, and having turned over towards PILOT to
cheer it up with a smile, she realized that it was deathly pale. |
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August 7th Cloudy sky, storms
from time to time, 20 knots. |
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August 6th
Second half. Maud looks and re-looks at her chart. In vain she tries to turn the problem in all the directions - the number of remaining km to go is monstrous. France is ridiculously far away. She wonders whether her arms, already quite painful, will be able to hold on and to row until the end. With oars in her hands, observing the grey sky this morning, she wonders how many storms and fears are awaiting her. Pilot, on its side, notes that the temperature of water is 17°. It complains that its hull was also smooth only at the beginning and does not promise any heroic deeds on speed level on this second part of the way. It must also be tired and wonders whether it quite simply will not plant a strike picket!!
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August 5th
HALFWAY. Various feelings animate Maud today. First of all, she remembers with a lot of emotions her first week at sea, these painful moments when, trembling with cold, she tried to make land disappear from the horizon. The middle of the Atlantic was perched so high that it seemed to her inaccessible. In front of her eyes there were only fog, icebergs and many storms to be undergone. And then the days passed, slowly, hardening her body, and reinforcing - stroke by stroke of oar - her will not to take a release. Getting up this morning, on the longitude 31, our Miss got really conscience that she was all alone in thousands of kilometres from her starting point and in dozens of days to row to her arrival point. But that is it: she managed to this half-way point, that she had been dreaming about so much. Certainly, it was not necessary to have a need for something urgent to this place, but what a marvellous and exciting pleasure to have been able to drive herself to it with her out stretched arm. Upright in her cockpit, the eyes lost towards the horizon, she was almost gasping: the sea was shining like a silver plated tablecloth folded by the wind. PILOT under her feet danced at a calming rhythm. Enjoying the serenity of this reward, she immediately forgot about the blisters on her hands and swelled her lungs with this great air of FREEDOM. Vis-à-vis to this immense universe, she just could not grasp, how had this ocean, which could be so terrible, been able to let her pass? Since the beginning, he had been the Master deciding all. Maud had lowered her head, had supported his changes of mood and had boxed his monstrous angers. . And yet, he had half-opened her a narrow path, this gift, Maud measured the whole value of it. The richness of this moment, this treasure, Maud dedicates it to you, who reads this newspaper each day. So that never, never ever you do cease dreaming.
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August 4th
Won't you ever guess
what Maud fished today? |
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August 3rd
Gray weather, covered sky, head wind , but improvement is planned for tomorrow. Keep fingers crosses. Good news however, the sea is less strong and Maud can venture outside. She has only one thing in her head: to make THE CAPE AT THE EAST. Today, she had some visits nevertheless to distract her. First of all it is her radar detector that sounds from time to time, but not obvious to see much. When she is at the summit of the wave, the boat that she looks for must be in the hollow. It is in general only suddenly that she sees it whereas it is nearby. In fact large merchant ships do not seem to see her and pursue their way quietly. For the moment it is more pleasant, she came across one or two birds. Maybe they came from Azores. They got stabilized, turned for a few minutes to the top of PILOT and then left as if some share was waiting for them somewhere else. Maud tempted to coax them with the best of freeze-dried cod, but without success. She then watched them moving away, enjoying that living presence as a long as possible |
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August 2nd
Maud thinks of Sisyphus, his mountain and
his heavy stone. This half-way seems to be the top of this hill where
our oarswoman does not manage to push PILOT. This morning, the winds are
still contrary. Having moved back during all the night, Maud hopelessly
tries to clear a passage between the waves and the wind. A little sad,
she recalls her long days of galley on the Big Benches of New Land
waiting until the weather puts it there, as a combatant like an ant
fallen into a honey pot (note: it is surely for that, that she never
wants that anyone kills ants). |
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August 1st
One would like to give you better news, unfortunately weather hardly changes. Today, after having had head winds during more than 12 hours, and to have furiously fought with the oars to prevent PILOT from moving back, Maud is in prey with a new storm. What she saw, you know it already; useless to add anything else. Longitude 31°, real half-way, doesn’t seem to want to approach. |
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July 31st
First of all, know that Maud thanks you
all a lot for each of your encouragements that touches her a lot. |
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July 28th
ONE NIGHT WITH MAUD ONBOARD PILOT. |
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- June 26th To my cherished little brother Roch, whom I love so much: Happy Anniversary!
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June 25th
Day dedicated to the children of the CP of the school Sainte Odile of St Pierre. Each time there is one and the same
annoying refrain: first of all they turn far around PILOT,
then, having probably noted that it was not a floating mine, they rush
directly onto her. Then the echo radar begins its vibrations. Maud's
heart sinks again: Is this a military boat? Or a trawler? Are they
French? Indonesians? Turkish? The nice ones or the malicious ones? And
every time the same reasoning. This time, it is an IMMMMMENSE Canadian
blue trawler "Atlantic Sea Clipper" with 10 big strong men on
her board, dressed in rich orange colour robes. They are so close, that
one of the "arms" of the trawler passes above the top of
PILOT. Perplexed, they pose 3 times the same question: "Are you
sure you have no problem? "" No, no, all is well, we are a
rowing boat" howls Maud through the wind and the waves. Noting that
they will not draw anything more out of "the small one", they
thus decide slowly to move away. Ouf! |
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" PILOT does not want to receive anybody on board. As far as I prohibited Josephine (yes, you know well, its girlfriend - jellyfish) to establish her camping in the cockpit, she does not see why I would have the right to have any other visit. |
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June 19th
Day dedicated to my dear
webmaster, Alain Rigal. She was waken up by the "alarm clock": a thick fog and the alarm of the echo radar which resounds more and more for a long time. Nothing's better to put PILOT into a special mood early in the morning… Maud gets her head into the bulb of the hatch and tries to bore the fog but nothing's going on over there: she can see just drops. The aural signal is now continuous, Maud looks on and on, she finishes to wash the teeth on high speed, threads her 3 polar, her jacket, harness, waistcoat, boots, scarf, gloves... and leaves the cockpit. And what's on over there? Does anything emerge out from the fog? A large Canadian trawler. PILOT is now with the aguets, Maud tries to reassure the crew and makes a sign OK to the men. But nothing changes: the boat continues to approach, the men of the crew quite simply take their cameras out and "centre fire" on PILOT which thrusts out the chest. Quite naturally they ask Maud "where are you going? "Maud points her finger to the East and answers: "To France, of course!" Perplexed and admiring they move away while encouraging Maud by large signs. And our oarswoman goes
back to the oars - into 8 new hours of rowing! |
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June 18th
Day dedicated to Gerard d' Aboville for his small letter "to open after the departure": that makes the morale up. Thank you! Today swell of 4 m hollow and strong wind of 35 knots. Maud is frozen to death: in her cabin this night the temperature was 2 °. Impossible to sleep, she was shrivelling more and more in her polar. In addition to blisters on her hands, Maud starts to have problem with the buttocks. Today a very astonishing thing took place: whereas Maud hopelessly tried to row in the hollows and the bumps, 2 blows of gun made her start; PILOT still quivers from it. What could it be? The sky was clear, neither rocket nor plane in sight, she seemed to be alone in the ocean... what might have had an idea to attack her? Distressing event remained without explanation. "Thought moved
for Carole, Jean Louis Bernardelli and Franck who had to stop smoking
during the day of my departure" "Large kisses to my favourite
photographer. Thank you for your messages. Many of my thoughts each day
are dedicated to you. Christmas will arrive quickly... " |
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June 17th
Large kisses to the 5th
College Jules Romains The conditions improved,
but it's terribly cold and Maud superimposed 4 polar (thanks to Marine
Pool!) |
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June 15
Day dedicated to
Thomas from Marine Pool, thanks to whom she did not transform
herself into iceberg during the night. |
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June
14 |
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June 13 Finally the departure! After some
hesitations this morning (weather forecast not being ideal for Sunday)
Maud left the wharf at 07h50 local time (10h50 UTC) and passed by the
land-mark "Bertrand" - official starting point of her crossing
- at 08h20 (11h20 UTC) |
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