Vendée Globe - A morning of mixed emotions for Isabelle Joschke

It’s a morning of mixed emotions for Isabelle Joschke, who admits enjoying the surfing on her foils and not slamming into the waves, however she is unsettled by the damage sustained to her pushpit that has left her feeling a little unsafe on board.

"I have recovered from last night's drama and have had a good rest last night, the sailing conditions are very sedate so it helps to put things into perspective and to feel good at sea. It's pretty cool this morning: the conditions are good for my foils. Crosswind, medium and a flat sea: for the past 24 hours, the boat has been making very little noise.It shakes a lot an it is impossible to write, or tap away. This pace is going to continue, which is no bad thing: it means I make headway. I'm not at the optimum of my speed potential, but it's going fast enough and it allows me to recharge the batteries. 

There is a list of technical issues to work on, which I can't deal with while boat is advancing on a port tack, because the area to work on is under the area being sprayed by the water. It will either have to calm down or slow down for me to do the repairs. I'm mainly talking about my pushpit, which needs to be be fixed and the genaker block that needs be put back in place properly and safely. I also have a lot of other little annoying breakages.

Repairing the pushpit, technically speaking, is a big job. The deck stanchions are torn off, the hooks are in the bottom and the aim is to rebuild the railing and fasten it well to the deck. I speak with the shore team a lot looking to find simple and sturdy solutions. The guys know the areas they have reinforced and if I were to try and decide on my own, I would make possible risky choices.

The pushpit is needed for safety and it has been a hard blow to the sense of morale. I have had a series of issues and damage since the start of the race. I had to stop the boat several times, which is very hard for a competitor. But the pushpit is also what you attach to the boat with. It’s not the same without it and I need to feel safe before heading into the Southern Ocean. Right now, as I go to the stern, I clip on, which would not usually be needed.

Are there any positive things? Plenty, but I'm right now I am frustrated, annoyed and I do not feel like saying everything is fine when it is not. On the competitive side of things, I am disappointed and I do not want to hide how I feel.”

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Cover photo credit Thierry Martinez