Saturday, December 6 – The Doldrums as told by Alexia Barrier
“The Intertropical Convergence Zone is truly a place apart. It’s funny, this Atlantic Ocean; it’s constantly changing: from north to south, east to west, it’s a parade of different landscapes, atmospheres, and lights.
It’s like sailing through several overlapping worlds. Here, sailors tend to frown: uncertain winds, unpredictable squalls… Hence the infamous name: the Doldrums. A name that, in my opinion, does not do justice to this zone. Because beyond its whims, it offers a superb learning ground: adapting, finding a route, accepting what comes. The way out is always south. Always.
Between the “wind-eating” clouds, those that accelerate, those that turn, those that pour rain like a curtain of warm air, it’s a hunt for clues, a game for children who have to be a little serious for a while.
Last night, we were treated to a shower under a squall, a real tropical one. And, believe it or not, it was euphoric. After a week of racing, being rinsed by the sky is almost like a celebration. We laughed like little girls in the rain. Then back to reality: we’re still not making any progress. And it’s going to last.
Another hundred miles in this shifting gray, searching for a break in the clouds—because here, a break in the clouds is the way out. It’s a test for the boat, but also for each of us: accepting the slowness, the patience, the strange rhythm of this zone. The younger ones are getting impatient, there’s murmuring, there’s movement. All this energy is beautiful, but it needs to be channeled.
I keep one mission in mind: to keep the boat moving, stay focused on the numbers, and keep my eyes open to everything nature is telling me around me. Here, you go from one knot to three, from three to six, then to eight, and suddenly a new cloud arrives and… nothing. We move forward, then we don’t, then we do, then we don’t at all. It’s a tropical tango: unpredictable and sticky.
In this area, we also take the opportunity to “examine” the boat: check every nook and cranny, inspect every part, and detect the slightest weakness that speed would hide from us. So far, so good. The boat is breathing, and so are we. So we continue, mile after mile, towards the south. Always towards the south. ”
Article by Alexia Barrier / The Famous Project CIC
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