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Raphaela's biggest fright so far
08:26 a.m. EDT Sep 28, 2003
A few days ago Raphaela le Gouvello had her biggest fright so far. As she was stepping out of the board through the bubble, she realized that one of the handles had remained in her hand. After the initial feelings of panic; "I passed a small part in the hole that serves as padlock, and as I pulled the handle gave way finally from the inside". All in all Raphaela was more frightened than hurt but the effects of this incident could have been dramatic.
There are currently low winds so her progress is slow. Since departure she has sailed 2797 miles.
She appears to be in perfect physical condition, her weight has not changed, and she is absorbing her daily 2800 calories. She is fully aware that the end of the trip will be the hardest for her body to bear after a few weeks at sea, so following the nutrionist’s advice very closely is essential to her.
The weather conditions to the south are still unstable so Raphaela is advised to stay aligned to the 10th parallel for security reasons.
French adventurer Raphaela le Gouvello is trying to cross the Pacific Ocean solo on a surfboard. Raphaela has earlier solo surfed the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Her current sail follow in the footsteps of Thor Hejerdahl's Kon Tiki:
"Each time you take off on the sea, you have to be prepared for new difficulties. I expect the challenge of the Pacific to be dealing with its huge dimension. The swell is likely to be larger and stronger. Everything is multiplied by the scale of this ocean. For instance, the shark density is 3 times higher that of the Atlantic!
For over 2 months, I will find myself far from any human being, alone with the trade winds and currents that will push me West. The challenge will be to stay vigilant, awake, and in a good physical condition, along with the gear holding up".
Photo courtesy of, Odyssée du Vent 2003 - Raphaëla Le Gouvello
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