"It's a bit hard": Sébastien Simon overwhelmed by emotion, alone at sea

At 30, Sébastien Simon took the start of his first Vendée Globe on Sunday in Les Sables d'Olonne.

At dawn, before getting off the pontoon and casting off, the winner of the Solitaire du Figaro 2018 had the impression “of not having slept soundly, I went around in circles a lot in my bed.

I want to go there, to be in my race.

Afterwards I am also stressed and I expected it.

I always dreaded the first days of racing, it is still the case, and even more so today. ”

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"I have waited so long for this moment and at the same time, I don't know what to think"

Sebastien simon

At 2:20 p.m., after more than an hour of delay on the protocol due to a persistent fog, the skipper of Arkea-Paprec, a latest generation foiling monohull with the potential of a winner, left to realize his "dream of child".

A safe and trouble-free departure in the first wagon of the fleet (8th at 5:00 p.m.).

At the beginning of the evening, under a beautiful setting sun, the emotion was still palpable in Vendéen, on the verge of tears.

“First sunset aboard Arkea-Paprec.

I admit that the emotion does not come down so much.

It's still a bit hard.

I find it hard to realize that I'm leaving for 70 or 80 days.

It feels weird.

I have waited so long for this moment and at the same time I don't know what to think about it.

Come on it's going to be fine!

I know that many of you are following me ”, breaths, facing the camera, Sébastien Simon, confirming that the decompression chamber is never easy for sailors in the Vendée Globe.

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