Forces of Nature
Tomorrow, a record might be made.
Clarisse Cremer is due to arrive in Les Sables d’Olonne: day 87 and some. She might have arrived day 86, but she has slowed her boat due to large seas and strong winds and conditions in the Bay of Biscay that make a fast arrival dangerous.
Clarisse is 31 years old. She has a degree in business from an American university and HEC Paris … but she was in HEC’s sailing club and opted for professional ocean sailing.
She has run a steady race for Banque Populaire X in a proven boat. She has been a joy to watch and follow: authentic and personable through all conditions.
If she arrives in less than 90 days, she will have the record of fastest, solo circumnavigation by a woman: a record set by Ellen MacArthur in the 2004/2005 Vendee Globe.
Currently, as she is approximately 154 nm from the finish (as of this writing) and her tracker info is updated every 30 minutes … and I am checking on the hour and half-hour!! … she anticipates crossing the finish line on Wednesday afternoon (France time which is 7 hours ahead of my time).
In the past days, for the past finishers, Clarisse, and 2 weekend-ish finishers, there have been some large Atlantic storms to navigate.
Holy Cow! I go to bed every night with the skippers on my lips in prayers and hope for their safe navigation to the finish.
Meanwhile …
I have observed that there is a horrific NE U.S. snow storm, i.e. “a ‘norEaster'” … lots of heavy, wet snow.
Forces of nature.
Here, in NW Montana, there is little snow on the ground, it was 40ish and it rained.
Dreary.
My team…
But in the “be careful what you wish for” … winter is forecast to return at the Week End … stay tuned!