After a particularly grueling 24 hours in the lee of Guadeloupe, Éric found himself in a difficult situation off Vieux-Fort. With barely one knot of wind, a current pushing him toward the coast and night falling, making progress under sail was impossible. Exhausted, having managed just one hour of sleep in more than 24 hours, Éric finally decided to start his engines and head for the shelter of Les Saintes, an hour and a half away, rather than risk a nighttime approach through fishing nets. "The crossing was magnificent. It would have been a shame to spoil the celebration and the adventure out of pride!" he admits. A sensible sailor's decision that takes nothing away from his achievement: crossing the Atlantic alone, nonstop, aboard a production catamaran measuring just 36 feet (11 meters). Éric now plans to sail to Pointe-à-Pitre to symbolically cross the finish line before watching the Route du Rhum competitors arrive.
