Meeting at the Cape

Jean-Luc van den Heede sees first humans in three months

Day 93 Position at 1300: 32°03S / 14°07E
Wind 25 knots from SE Heavy seas.
Temperatures: day 24°C / night 15°C / sea 19°C
Distance covered in the last 24 hours: 295 miles.
DTF: 7,201 miles.
Lead over P. Monnet 26 days and 8 hours.

What a fine day for rounding the Cape of Good Hope! Remy, Marcel, Christophe and Vincent flew over me twice, the first time I was on the beam, the second reaching with the spinnaker. If you get LCI television, try watching the next edition of Nautisme.

After three months of being completely alone, it's really an emotional occasion to be greeted by friends, even if they are some way off, hanging out of a helicopter hovering just above the water. After these two film clips, the wind got up more and more, and I had to bring in the spinnaker, (lowering it wasn't easy), and I spent the night reaching with the genoa and three reefs gliding along on the surf at more than 20 knots in a 35-40knot wind and very heavy seas.

It was at that speed that I celebrated with a glass, as befits the occasion, the lead, which I extended in the forties and also my passing of this final cape. I dug my menu out from among the presents I received before the start: a quarter bottle of champagne as an aperitif, some 'foie gras', followed by some duck conserve, some sauté potatoes, beans, then my usual half camembert in a box, and to finish it off a delicious gascon hazelnut and chocolate biscuit. To accompany this gargantuan feast, a little Médoc 95, which will make my Sunday perfect.

You can see, I'm bearing up quite well!
See you tomorrow,

JL VDH

A weekend with Mathieu MEDORI's cuddly toy, an elephant, who was able to see the Cape of Good Hope.