Clarisse Crémer completes the most critical Transatlantic Race of her career
by L'Occitane Sailing Team 13 Jun 2024 07:42 PDT
L'Occitane Sailing Team © L'Occitane Sailing Team
On Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 15:00 pm, Clarisse Crémer, skipper of the IMOCA L'Occitane en Provence, crossed the finish line of the New York Vendée, a solo transatlantic race.
During the 14 day crossing, Clarisse sailed conservatively in order to preserve her boat and to ensure that she would finish the race. After a fairly fast start to the race, the lack of wind at the end of the race caused by a large high-pressure system slowed her down significantly adding a few days to her race. With windless nights and patchy squalls, Clarisse threaded her way through the high pressure and whilst she did not achieve the ranking, she and her boat are capable of she relished the finish of the race.
In less than a year, Clarisse has completed 4 transatlantic races, in order to qualify and be selected as one of the 40 boats eligible to start the 2024 Vendée Globe. Her project was conceived in early 2023 after the birth of her daughter and in partnership with British yachtsman Alex Thomson, she set out to show that motherhood should not be a hindrance to a top-level skipper's career. Clarisse has now met the requirements of the Vendee Globe to be fully selected to take the start of the solo round-the-world race on November 10th, and is eagerly awaiting the official announcement of the selected skippers on July 2.