Clarice Kremer, navigator. “Becoming a mother changed everything and nothing in my life at the same time”

“The idea was to follow the general theme of Clarisse’s Vendée Globe, but also paint her personal story; the story of an almost thirty-year-old re-convert that we can identify with, even if not everyone is going to make the trip. alone on a round-the-world trip… We then grafted various themes into the history of the race; for example, how we sleep, how we eat on a boat that never stops. It wasn’t about giving lessons, it was about making people understand the complexity of offshore racing. So says Maud Benezit, designer and co-author I’m going there, but I’m afraid, a sailor’s diary, which tells the story of skipper Clarice Kremer’s extraordinary journey from her first Mini Transat to the Vendée Globe, ending on February 3, 2021, where she broke the women’s record held by Ellen MacArthur for twenty years. A book as rich as it is fascinating, which brings to life the extraordinary journey of this top athlete, HEC graduate and award ambassador. With a business attitude by Madame Figaro, which seeks to promote female business creators. Interview:

Madame Figaro: Why did you want to make a comic about your adventures in the Vande Globe?

Clarice Kremer:It was born from the desire to share what I experienced during this race and a certain appetite for writing and the subject that is the book. I have often made videos about my experiences at sea, and the comedy seems to me to be at the intersection of the images in the video and the words in the story. But that thought would probably never have occurred to me if I hadn’t met Maud Benezit and been able to immerse myself in her painting, her way of telling stories and her humor, which allowed me to add just the right amount. self-confidence. The goal was to create a comic that would reach the widest possible audience, and not just sailing enthusiasts, with a work that could inspire even those with no interest in the world of the sea.

At the end of the comic, you say that you are often brought back to your identity as a woman…

As a sailor, you are on the water regardless of your gender; it is a mixed sport and there is only one classification. We never think that there is a man or a woman on one side of the ship. The comic also wanted to talk about this. During the three months I spent offshore, I never thought about “as a woman”, it was not a topic. Then I arrived, I finished my tour on February 3, 2021 (After eighty-seven days, two hours, 24 minutes and 25 seconds at sea, editor’s note) and since then people have only talked to me about this women’s record, or almost. I understand the media reflex. that’s what sets me apart from the other contestants. But my story and the adventures I have had at sea have little to do with the summary that our society draws from it.

However, in spite of that, were you brought back there when your pregnancy led to the exit of your former sponsor, Banque Populaire, which was thankfully replaced by L’Occitane?

It is certain that I have grown and had different experiences since the Vande Globe. I used to think that it was enough to fit in and go with the flow, but I realized that the movement was started and led by men and for men, and that there are times when a woman cannot physically follow this movement. Which requires changes. But the comics stop there, and we only briefly approach the topic. How do you start a family when you’re a top athlete? Is it possible to continue a career while pregnant? – because there was already a lot to say.

And in your case, what has changed after becoming a mother?

Both everything and nothing. Having a child is always revolutionary in life. Organization, leisure activities, the way we see the world are no longer the same. But as far as my character is concerned, that’s something that’s just an add-on. my personality hasn’t changed. The adjustments are mostly logistical. currently I have a project between England and France and if I didn’t have a baby I would be there a lot more often looking after my boat. My team understands that I cannot be absent as before. But the important thing is not to compare. I have a child, that’s part of the original premise and we have to live with it. The athlete that I am at sea has not changed, I just have to make sure that my daughter is taken care of on land, especially since my husband. (sailor Tangy Le Tourquay, Editor’s Note) and i’m on the same races. It is my sister who lives with us who acts as a third parent…

Has life as a sailor affected your relationship in any way?

I wasn’t a sailor when I met Tanguy, but he was, and he, having these ambitious and sometimes limiting projects, was always a part of what we did. We were together for four or five years, when I became a captain myself, and he was the one who had to adjust… This pace and this way of life suit us both at the moment, we are extremely lucky to be able to devote ourselves to him. to these projects, but we know, without predicting exactly what will happen, that this cannot go on forever. We demand a lot from those around us, we are at the center of many things, which can create a form of imbalance.

Did you want to tell your story differently with this comic?

My recent history has shown this. I am ready to quit my job if I am not accepted for who I am. I don’t know how to play a role at sea, and the sponsor has to accept that. In my videos, I tell who I am, my goal, why I return to the water, I surrender… With the comic, I was able to add color, thanks to Mod, I was able to take two hundred pages. say that nothing is simple and that we are not all of one piece. People remember the courage or incredible nature of these kinds of adventures, but we also need to talk about the doubts, the questions, the fear of not being up to the task, and just plain fear. Maud and I have one thing in common, that we always want to dig deep and see all sides of an argument, down to the smallest details. This comic strip is definitely my best and most complete version compared to all my videos or all the portraits and reports I’ve written or shot. Basically, everything is in the title: I’m going there, but I’m afraid.

I’m going, but I’m afraid, Clarisse Crémer and Maud Bénézit, eds. Delcourt, 216 p., €24.95