His race turns into an ordeal. Engaged in the Return to base race aboard his Imoca “Human”, skipper Antoine Cornic fell ill while sailing on the Atlantic Ocean. The sailor fell victim to dengue fever, a tropical disease contracted by his relatives while they were staying in Martinique at the finish of the Transat Jacques-Vabre, in which he took 30th place in his category. And finds himself extremely weakened as he tries to reach Lorient from the Caribbean island since Thursday.
“Dengue is crazy! I am devastated with fatigue. Yesterday (Sunday), I maneuvered seven times during the day, I had to collapse on my mattress. I can’t move a sail, he told the newspaper on Monday The Telegram. A 10 minute maneuver took me 40 and I slept 6 hours afterwards. I’m sad because I can’t fight anymore. I’m drinking, I’m sweating, I’m shivering, I’m completely burned out! When you know that this disease comes from a mosquito that weighs less than half a gram…”
Antoine Cornic recounts his suffering in a video published on YouTube. And again detailed on Tuesday morning the difficulties encountered just to change a simple sail. “I cried in pain, I even vomited, but the result is there: the sail is at the top, it’s not necessarily the right one, but it’s the one that I will be able to manage the most easily if the wind is rising,” he slips in comments reported on the organization’s website.
“I just drink a little lemon and some sugar”
“I do everything straight, I no longer follow the routing. I’m doing everything I can to get back and bring the boat back. I just drink a little lemon and some sugar. Nothing happens, he describes. I hope it will improve a little and fairly quickly if possible (…). I’m no longer looking at the postponement of positions: it makes me even sadder, I had my heart set on fighting on this transatlantic race. »
Antoine Cornic is currently in 28th position in the race, more than 600 nautical miles behind leader Yoann Richomme. All the competitors are heading towards the Azores.
