Amaury de Jamblinne: “Living your dreams rather than dreaming of your life”
by Mathieu Houllière 21 Mar 2023 13:40 PDT
Amaury de Jamblinne © Amaury de Jamblinne
The motivations that drive the skippers to participate in the first edition of the Global Solo Challenge are as numerous and varied as the stars in the sky on a beautiful summer night.
However, there is one thing that comes up again and again in the words of various participants in this extraordinary adventure: the Global Solo Challenge is the ideal opportunity to realise a childhood dream.
The 63-year-old Belgian Amaury de Jamblinne is no exception to the rule: "I have been dreaming of a solo round-the-world voyage via the three Great Capes for a long time. Jacques Brel used to say, 'It is better to live your dreams than dream of your life'. And this is the moment for me.
Amaury's passion for the sea developed at an early age. At first, at his father's side, then as a teenager, when he started windsurfing and light sailing. In 1981, after his military service, he embarked on an adventure that would change his life. For two years, the Belgian skipper sailed the seas of the globe as a crew member until he reached Australia. A journey that marked him forever and gave him a taste for the open sea. Since then, he has completed several transatlantic races and a two-year round-the-world trip with his family.
"It's hard to explain what it feels like to be on the high seas. Faced with the ocean, different people react in different ways: people who panic, people who don't like it, and some are simply indifferent... For me, it's a place where I feel reasonably comfortable. There is something very instinctive at sea; you develop a sixth sense. It's a place where I feel like I know what to do. Even if that doesn't mean you always make the best decision" he says.
Amaury remains humble in the face of the elements and the power of the oceans. Apprehension and anxiety are part of the game, according to him. Especially when it comes to the South Seas and the Roaring Fifties. "It's normal and healthy to be afraid; it's a natural regulator. But it is also in these moments that we feel alive. In the sanitised world in which we live, the sea remains one of the rare places where you are solely responsible for yourself.
When he discovered the Global Solo Challenge, Amaury saw an opportunity: to realise his dream of sailing around the world single-handed without really being alone. The safety aspect of the Global Solo Challenge encouraged him to take the plunge and embark on the adventure. "Safety is one of Marco's (Nannini, the organiser's) concerns — not to say obsessions," he smiles. Before continuing: "It's a very good thing. Knowing that the fleet will be grouped together as they approach the Southern Seas gives an extra level of security that is not to be underestimated.
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