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Three quarters of the journey completed for Raphaela
13:28 p.m. EDT Oct 5, 2003
Raphaela le Gouvello has had excellent progress across the Pacific Ocean. She has now covered over 3000 miles since her departure, leaving less than 1000 miles left to her destination in Tahiti. In addition, the winds have picked up some strength over the past few days
Raphaela had quite weak winds in the past weeks, compared to her earlier Atlantic crossing. This time over, learning from her experience, she has paid a great deal of attention to physical preparation before she gets on the board.
Says Raphaela; "I am getting close to the duration of the crossing on the Atlantic and I must say I am less exhausted than three years ago. I am in better shape than at the end of that journey. The main difference is that I've had three weeks of almost perfect calm, I have cleaned the goose barnacles and I do my stretching exercises much more seriously."
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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