Skiboo 2

And sometimes, there are still “mountains of water” to remind the sailor just how small he is in the face of nature’s immensity. “Sometimes we need to be reminded of that, and adventure is the best way to find our rightful place, to admire and to respect.”

For Éric, this seventh day was marked above all by two sights: a sunrise and a sunset. “At sea, we're constantly surrounded by the same element, the ocean. You're alone aboard your boat, or sailing with a crew, as some people are, and yet you never witness the same spectacle twice. Every time, it's something different.”

The morning sunrise was “absolutely magnificent,” while the sunset behind the clouds was equally spectacular. “Even now, as I'm speaking to you, there are still shades of pink in the sky through the gray clouds. It's simply splendid, and I really never tire of it. I think this is the place on the planet where you can best understand just how insignificant we are compared with this immensity. And simply enjoy it all in complete serenity.”

But aboard the Excess 11, there's also the next stage to prepare for. Skiboo 2 is now entering the southern part of her voyage, and the weather over the coming days is beginning to dictate the route. Éric has therefore reviewed the situation with his friend and shore-based weather router, Pierre of PZ Sailing in La Rochelle. At this early stage of the season, the trade winds are not yet properly established, so he has to work around the moving weather systems.

One possibility is emerging: taking advantage of a “tiny gap” between Madeira and the Canary Islands. But that means being in the right place at the right time. For now, the routing is therefore being planned in stages: around 50 miles south, then west, then south again, with the distances to be refined as the forecasts evolve.

Follow Skiboo 2 here