"Wow! That's huge. Absolutely huge!" exclaims the skipper, unable to hide his excitement. Having left La Rochelle on October 4 for a solo, nonstop Atlantic crossing without using the engines for propulsion, Éric has already covered well over half his total route, having first sailed south to the Canaries before turning west.
But behind the numbers lies a wonderful personal story. Éric knows Pointe de la Grande Vigie well: he used to visit it every year, gazing out over the vast ocean and dreaming that one day, he too would arrive from the other side of the Atlantic under sail.
Today, that dream is taking on a whole new dimension. The sailor can already imagine himself approaching this coastline from offshore, much like the great ocean voyagers sighting Cape Horn after weeks at sea. "Everyone has their own Everest!" he sums up beautifully.
Still, he needs to keep his feet on the ground: Skiboo 2 has another 1,250 nautical miles to go before reaching Grande Vigie, plus an additional 60 to 90 miles to cross the finish line. Éric hopes to complete his crossing in around 30 days, which would mean another week at sea. Meanwhile, a little sewing workshop is taking shape aboard to repair the gennaker, which has torn once again.
For now, though, spirits couldn't be higher. "It's party time out here. We're happy!" concludes the skipper, who continues to open one of the envelopes prepared for him before departure every day.
Follow Éric live: https://share.garmin.com/Skiboo2
