Yesterday we were lucky to have a message from the boys on route. On the first stage they drove 100 km to Maum in Botswana. Since we are communicating by text, I don’t know anything about the border crossing between Namibia and Botswana other than all goes well. They should soon reach the border of Zimbabwe.
Serge went through 36 difficult hours, with a blow to his morale the likes of which he has never had before. Today he seems to be in a better mood. He said to me: “I was depressed Thursday evening and when I found a box of Madeleine’s I ate them all. Tonight, Friday, I took a shower in the rain and I did a bit of laundry”. I know Serge well enough to understand that he totally decompensated following his efforts in the turbulence, where he had no respite, physical or moral, then suddenly he covered 100 nautical miles in 2 days, at which point he cracked up. “I have no desire to go on like this, do you realize how much time the rest will take… it will all be extended by the time I have just spent. I can see rocks in the distance so I will be on watch tonight and I have an easterly wind and I can’t hold the correct heading (this was yesterday morning). The routers told me that the wind and current would carry me; it’s not possible….and then, and then….”
So many complaints! I know that Serge is suffering the effects of this unexpected extension; he had planned to pass between Mayotte and the Comoros but after studying the route, the winds and ocean currents, Sat Ocean and Sea Route decided to have him go to the north of the Comoros, which means going farther. Serge has a problem accepting this. I think he has digested it now, for deep down he knows that if it is the suggested route it is because it is less dangerous than the previous route, even if it is still complicated. All one has to do is look at the map on the Sat Ocean link to realize it. I also know that alone on board he has the time to ponder. Several times recently he told me that in any case he is alone on board, that there is nothing that can be done from a distance, that he alone goes through it and he is at the mercy of winds, currents and waves. Indeed, one must feel very small and humble but we can’t forget that it is his choice and I’m not going to feel sorry for him.
This morning Serge has a good voice. He is expecting the French boat, Adroit to bring his water. He told me he that for several days he has seen Mayotte and he has the impression he is not moving forward. I can only cross my fingers that everything will go well for him. I don’t know if he realizes to what point we are behind, or rather with him, even if it is difficult to imagine what he is going through. I think about his family, his mother in particular, who is following Serge on her tablet. Feeding and human contact for 20 minutes, between 13H00 and 13H20, his voice is harmonious as he tells me about the interview. You will hear it tomorrow on his Audio message. I can tell you that he received 62 liters of water, which will take him to Mozambique. The watermaker will be serviced in Namibia before he starts his Atlantic crossing, which is another story. Thanks go to CROSS of Reunion Island and Cédric in particular as well as the sailors who called on him. A fine story!
For us, it was dead calm, or almost, at Pemba during the long weekend. Because my morale depends on Serge’s, I must say I feel better today, even if I will be uneasy until he picks up the current to the north of the Comoros which will allow him to head due west. There are emotions I could do without and it would be so easy to be at home in front of the TV with my cat on my knees. But that is not the choice we have made and I’m not going to complain.
See you tomorrow.