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Some truly mad skippers!

Despite the harsh conditions, the intensity of the race and the relentless demands, the sailors in the Vendée Arctique haven’t lost their sense of humour. Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing) and Arnaud Boissières (April Marine – seeking co-sponsor) have demonstrated this over the last few hours, each in their own way.

À bord d'11th Hour Racing.
© DR

Admittedly, they have much in common. IMOCA skippers share a passion for the open sea, the ability to master their boats in all conditions, and resilience in the face of difficult conditions. Nevertheless, each cultivates their own unique character as well as their own perspective on the experiences they encounter at sea.

Crossing the Arctic Circle is a case in point: there was the seriousness of Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), focused on victory; the countdown by Élodie Bonafous (Association Petits Princes – Quéguiner), Ambrogio Beccaria’s (Allagrande Mapei) “we did it”, Violette Dorange’s (Initiatives-Cœur) infectious joy, and Nico d’Estais’s (Café Joyeux) sense of accomplishment. For their part, Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing) and Arnaud Boissières opted for a different approach: humour.

Francesca and the floral shirt 

And so the Italian-American appeared in a video wearing… a floral shirt! A blue outfit with bright white and pink patterns – a sight that seems out of place at this latitude. So forget the raincoat and beanie; make way for the shirt and a broad smile. “I put on a summer top for crossing the Arctic Circle,” she jokes. 

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Passer le cercle polaire en chemise hawaïenne...si ça c'est pas historique

‘The Arctic Circle is like the equator. We look forward to it, we hope for it, and we know it’s nothing special. So we want to celebrate the occasion even if tradition doesn’t call for it’

Arnaud Boissières
April Marine - Recherche co-partenaire

Arnaud Boissières, the ‘bear’ of the Arctic Circle

The day after this video was published, another one was sent to us from out at sea. It was filmed by Arnaud Boissières and begins in the April Marine zone – a research partner – though the skipper himself is not to be seen. He provides the voiceover: “The Arctic Circle is like the equator. We wait for it, we hope for it, and we know it’s nothing.” He goes on to explain that he wants to “celebrate the event” in a way that “tradition doesn’t dictate”. And there he comes, charging in… bare-chested, wearing nothing but brown boxer shorts. “I’ve dressed up as a polar bear,” he says. To mark the occasion, he doesn’t intend to stop there, deciding to “make an offering”. Not a few drops of alcohol for Neptune as is customary when crossing the equator, but an offering “made by Arnaud Boissières”: Nutella, “really cold Nutella”, he specifies, a smile on his lips.

Of course, Arnaud Boissières quickly got back to business. He even said as much at the end of his video: “We’re going to have to get dressed again. It’s all well and good clowning around, but we’ve got a lot of work to do!” 


 

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Arnaud célèbre le passage du cercle polaire avec du Nutella "froid" 🥳

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