Raphaëla le Gouvello: the two of us Indian Ocean
The desire to go even further
We can only admire this 46 year old woman who will face theocean Indian for more than 70 days. To see her, so thin, one even wonders how she manages to control, to tame her windsurfing, alone in the middle of theocean. This natural element that knows how to be so hostile sometimes.
While she has already proved to us several times her talent, her tenacity in her previous exploits - crossings of the Mediterranean, of theocean Atlantic and South Pacific - why is it embarking on this new challenge and where does it get its energy ? She answers us with her soft and determined voice: "I wanted to go further, it's a logical continuation of my career, a way of closing the loop, I have a small engine deep inside me that m 'bring theenergy necessary. "And of theenergyit will have to deploy to support the solitude and the physical efforts essential to cross the some 6700 km between the two continents.
Stay confident
But after 30 years of board, this challenge does not scare him, Raphaëla feels in perfect symbiosis with the marine element. And although she knows that the winds are sometimes capricious and that some days she will not progress, she remains confident, "only five minutes of positive in a day enough to give me theenergy to continue. "
Another question that comes to mind when we imagine it alone in the middle of nowhere, in sometimes extreme conditions, with hollows of three or four meters, especially at night, does it not cross moments of discouragement? "I'm aware that I'm not very much in the face ofocean, that I must be very vigilant about a possible fall, a capsize, fatigue, but my board is my companion and I feel safe even in the middle of the night. It is obvious that I go through moments of doubt and discouragement, but anyway from a marine point of view I can not turn around and on the human level I do not have the right. When that happens I think of all those people who believe in me, who support me and it gives me the strength to fight. And then I learned to manage all this and I also have a radio, a phone, I can communicate. "
A few days before departure, she confirms that her determination remains stronger than anything. We are far from doubting it.
Through this challenge Raphaëla, who is a veterinarian in aquaculture, also wants to educate the public and even more children to respect the environment. And as she likes to say, "I plan for the planet". In partnership with the Suez Group and the Lyonnaise des Eaux, she created an educational kit, accessible on her website, to awaken children's interest in the major environmental issues, from the water cycle, to the protection of wildlife and flora. |
