8:09 PM Mon 22 May 2006
42 days solo and still 1100 nautical miles left to go, an adventure lived day by day, between gale-force winds and gentle breezes, she has set the record for distance and sailing backwards, solitude and unusual encounters.

From the beginning of last week, Raphaëla knew that a new weather perturbation identified by her weather router, Jean François Bonnin, would lessen the trade winds that the windsurfer enjoys so much.

On 15th and 16th May, the decision was taken to change her route more to the north and try to get round the calm zone where a light adverse wind would probably be the order of the day. This might have been an advantageous solution if the doldrums hadn't decided to put themselves in the lady skipper's path.

The result has been 48 hours of total calm with a compulsory 'day off', and an amazing drop in the daily average, in spite of the 81 nautical miles covered in the 24 hours between the two Argos readings (at 6 a.m.) on the 14th and 15th May.

81 nautical miles in 24 hours was the first time Raphaëla and her board had covered such a distance together. Whether in the Pacific or in the Mediterranean, never had the conditions been so favourable for this inseparable pair. This was a nice, pleasing performance for Raphaëla, who applied herself to taking advantage of the situation by sailing to the limit of her possibilities. Her well-designed board, developed by the naval architect Guy Saillard, is really ideal for crossing the high seas.

'Sometimes,' Raphaëla admits, 'the calm weather is good for getting some rest. But you have to keep your mind busy, otherwise you don't know what to do and get depressed. I had made the decision not to sail in the daytime, as there wasn't a breath of wind. So I cleaned the board up from top to bottom, I washed my clothes and did some repair jobs (checking the watermaker and the electrical circuits, as some sockets are oxydized). And above all, I let my body have a rest; it needed it.'

Raphaëla does not complain much and tends to be reticent on the subject, but we know that she has a few cuts and bruises that can sometimes be painful, caused by the violent falls in the previous weeks (she has sprained the ring finger on her right hand, and has a bruise on her right thigh, and so on).

But she is careful, and well advised by her doctors, Hélène and Nicolas Chevreuil, so she is looking after herself so that it doesn't get worse.

After 40 days of solitude, the Breton lady met a Breton skipper right in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Alain Goalvoueden set out on 24th April on his yacht, the 'THAI'. Our team had met him by chance in Fremantle where his boat was moored in the port after a long crossing. He planned to leave and take his boat to Reunion Island.

As soon as he heard of Raphaëla's project, and after a quick trip back to France, he set off 'in pursuit' of the lady windsurfer and after over 3 weeks sailing solo and by keeping regularly in touch with Cyril Ducrot, her technical advisor, about the position of the board, he was, to his astonishment, finally able to meet up with a woman in the middle of nowhere, on a board 7.80 meters long and hardly 1.30 meters wide.

This encounter was particularly moving says our adventuress, still in a state of 'shock'. 'I could see him from afar, but he couldn't see me. We made contact by VHF so that I could guide him towards me. Then he got closer and closer, then right up close. It was the first time I had seen a human being for 40 days and it was a really incredible sensation. He spent the night drifting beside me then he left the way he had came, very discreetly.'

At this morning's reckoning at 6 a.m. GMT, and 1102 nautical miles from the finishing line, Raphaëla has, since Saturday, met the trade winds again. 63 nautical miles covered in 24 hours is a satisfactory average, which ought to improve in the next few days.

Jean François Bonnin says, 'The trade winds have stabilized, blowing in the 110°-120° sector between 15 to 20 knots on Sunday, freshening in the afternoon to between 17 and 22 knots. In the next 48 hours, the windspeed should even be between 22 and 25 knots, with a choppy sea and a swell at 7 to 8 seconds.'

Raphaëla listens to this news with pleasure as she knows she will be able to sail fast in the next few days.

RACE HQ NEWS: On Friday 19th May, the call was dedicated to the French Navy, so Captain Soulanille (SIRPA) could speak live to the Breton lady, reminding her that lots of sailors were also windsurfing fans. In parallel, a link-up was also organized with Reunion Island; Captain Perrin, in charge of the Naval Base, announced to her that the whole of the French Navy there was getting ready for her arrival.

Captain Ouk, skipper of the patrol boat 'La Rieuse', is ready to set out and meet Raphaëla at the passing point fixed to the south of Rodrigue Isaland. This meeting should take place on around 31st May, that is, in ten days or so.

(Sunday): This morning, during the twice-daily call, Raphaëla confirmed that the weather forecast had been correct and the wind already well established. So it is her 5,2m² sail that is getting an airing, to windsurf in safety and without too much sail on. Since Saturday, there has been only a three-hour time difference with France, since she has moved into a new time zone, and only a one-hour difference from the time on Reunion Island.