To cross an ocean or a sea, you have to (try to) think of everything.
Quality equipment is essential for the success of such a project.
We obviously need a prone paddle board. We turned to DEEP who specialize in making these boards. They have the possibility to create the most personalized board possible.
Indeed, we need more plugs or accessories in order to add safety elements for rowing on the high seas, in particular a GPS or navigation compass, rings, reflective strips or custom design.
We have chosen to take different sizes in order to be prepared for the changes of swell, wind or waves that we could face. We will have an 18, 15 and 12 feet on board.
The board must be stable with a reinforcement of material where you kneel.
Then we need a safety boat. We chose a catamaran because it is more stable during the navigation and to avoid the roll of the boat due to our low speed which can cause sea sickness on board. It must be equipped with satellite telecommunication equipment in order to receive weather reports, to be able to communicate with our relatives and other needs in case of emergency as well as a desalinizer to have fresh water on board. Thanks to CLS Tracking for providing us with trackers and goniometers for this test crossing 2. (an article will soon be published on how to communicate and stay visible in the open sea).
It is also necessary to think about specific individual equipment.
First of all, the rowing suits. We are working in collaboration with the ROXY teams on the creation of a special suit for this final crossing. One of the difficulties for us will be the exposure to the sun and the heat on the Lima-Moorea route. A prototype in UV-resistant lycras will be made in one piece with a back opening. The objective is to avoid irritation with the zippers.
It is important to be visible on the water for safety reasons, so the choice of color is essential or the addition of a colored lycra is mandatory.
During the previous test, we agreed that the cap is a nuisance during the row. ROXY offered us a technical bobsled with an attachment to protect ourselves from the sun. Obviously, 3/2 neoprene suits, shorty are part of the pack with an opening on the front.
As far as textile equipment on the boat is concerned, we turned to DECATHLON technical sailing clothes for the crew. It is important to have the right equipment for offshore sailing. The most difficult thing to do is to plan accurately because the weather in the Mediterranean can be changeable: cold or hot. Technical underlays are provided to stay as warm as possible between relays.
It is also necessary to think about bringing waterproof headlamps because at night we save as much as possible on the boat’s lighting.
For the relay, we use an inflatable kayak to avoid jumping into the water and to get back on the boat more safely.
As far as sun protection is concerned, we have AVENE sun creams and sticks with an index 50+ for the whole team. Repair creams are also available for chafing injuries.
To protect our eyes, VUE D’HOSSEGOR has equipped us with technical glasses for rowing. Both light and hydrophobic, they allow us to protect our eyes from the sun’s reflection off the water.
For the safety equipment, we are equipped at PLASTIMO for the hand lights, fluorescein, floating anchors (to slow down the boat), flashlights, cyalumes, knives etc… essential to leave serenely and to be visible at night by the boat also or to alert in case of need
We have waterproof ICOM VHFs with an AIS system that allows us to locate the position of the boat. This device allows you to keep in touch with the team on board the boat and to be alerted in case of need.
Finally, nutrition. Indispensable for keeping the oars in line and keeping the morale of the troops up. We have specific food supplements from NUTRI PURE to have the minerals and vitamins needed to complete the expedition. Maeva (nutritionist) provided us with simple balanced meals for the 15 days of the crossing. We will also have additional freeze-dried products in order to optimize the storage volumes in the boat
The CAP OPTIMIST project was launched almost 2 years ago… 2 years that the waterwomen, the team, the partners imagine, project themselves, idealize perhaps all the axes of such a project. As you can imagine, this full-scale test will allow us to try to realize the final expedition in a shorter format.
In particular, the following will be tested
– Waterwomen:
Some are now experts in these ever more incredible challenges but others will discover this effort over a long period of time. It is a question for the rowers of getting in condition with different tests of duration of relay (between 1h and 2h), of measuring themselves in front of a long effort and thus to apprehend the management of the effort, the tiredness, the sleep, and of course to become aware of this collective of 6 women, their complementarity, their difference, their moment when they feel good, the others when they need support. It is also the occasion for the 3 mothers of the expedition to apprehend the “separation” with their child, to find the good words to explain them, …
This will allow each one to work on certain points with the mental trainers between July and December 2022 in order to be ready for the Great Departure.
– Crew:
The crew members who will leave on the final expedition are present on this expedition.
It is imperative to get to know each other, spend time during the effort together, learn to communicate, learn to trust each other and move forward together.
The crew is an essential piece of the puzzle for the success of the expedition. They are the ones who are primarily responsible for the safety of the rowers, monitoring the rower in the water. Patrick our doctor, Elodie our osteopath, Jérémie our photographer-camera man, Elohim our skipper and Alain the owner of the boat are all professionals in their expertise but they are also multi-skilled and will have to participate in the life on the boat, like taking a watch in the navigation, preparing food, and supporting our Waterwoman.
– Material:
These 1800 km will allow us to test the sports equipment, especially the paddleboards, their shape, their weight…
Then will be tested also the equipments of protection of the rower against the marine fauna (equipments and protocols), the equipments of navigation and security of day and night, the protocols of recovery, and all the material related to the scientific and medical expedition. We will also be able to use the equipment provided by our partners to adapt the choice of products for the final shipment.
AVENE allows us to test sun protection, creams and moisturizing products adapted to these conditions.
ROXY equips us with neoprene wetsuits. Depending on the weather, the time of rowing and the water temperature, 4 types of wetsuits will be tested.
DECATHLON equips us with sailing products, with the kayak that allows us to make transfers between the boat and the paddleboard.
MY MEDICAL equips us with products related to the medical protection of the rowers and the crew.
– Nutrition:
The menus were elaborated by Maeva, nutritionist at the European Center of Rehabilitation of the sportsman of Capbreton. Over 15 days, we will see if they are adapted to each one, to the management of the effort, to their practicality on board, …
In short, you will have understood, we are not going to pretend 🙂 It is much more than a test for us and then finally we enter the concrete sportsman of this project. 1800 km is a first effort of high level, where the performance and the rigor of the waterwomen is essential.
If you have any questions about this, contact us and we’ll talk about it!
The CAP OPTIMIST project was launched almost 2 years ago… 2 years that the waterwomen, the team, the partners imagine, project themselves, idealize perhaps all the axes of such a project. As you can imagine, this full-scale test will allow us to try to realize the final expedition in a shorter format.
In particular, the following will be tested
– Waterwomen:
Some are now experts in these ever more incredible challenges but others will discover this effort over a long period of time. It is a question for the rowers of getting in condition with different tests of duration of relay (between 1h and 2h), of measuring themselves in front of a long effort and thus to apprehend the management of the effort, the tiredness, the sleep, and of course to become aware of this collective of 6 women, their complementarity, their difference, their moment when they feel good, the others when they need support. It is also the occasion for the 3 mothers of the expedition to apprehend the “separation” with their child, to find the good words to explain them, …
This will allow each one to work on certain points with the mental trainers between July and December 2022 in order to be ready for the Great Departure.
– Crew:
The crew members who will leave on the final expedition are present on this expedition.
It is imperative to get to know each other, spend time during the effort together, learn to communicate, learn to trust each other and move forward together.
The crew is an essential piece of the puzzle for the success of the expedition. They are the ones who are primarily responsible for the safety of the rowers, monitoring the rower in the water. Patrick our doctor, Elodie our osteopath, Jérémie our photographer-camera man, Elohim our skipper and Alain the owner of the boat are all professionals in their expertise but they are also multi-skilled and will have to participate in the life on the boat, like taking a watch in the navigation, preparing food, and supporting our Waterwoman.
– Material:
These 1800 km will allow us to test the sports equipment, especially the paddleboards, their shape, their weight…
Then will be tested also the equipments of protection of the rower against the marine fauna (equipments and protocols), the equipments of navigation and security of day and night, the protocols of recovery, and all the material related to the scientific and medical expedition. We will also be able to use the equipment provided by our partners to adapt the choice of products for the final shipment.
AVENE allows us to test sun protection, creams and moisturizing products adapted to these conditions.
ROXY equips us with neoprene wetsuits. Depending on the weather, the time of rowing and the water temperature, 4 types of wetsuits will be tested.
DECATHLON equips us with sailing products, with the kayak that allows us to make transfers between the boat and the paddleboard.
MY MEDICAL equips us with products related to the medical protection of the rowers and the crew.
– Nutrition:
The menus were elaborated by Maeva, nutritionist at the European Center of Rehabilitation of the sportsman of Capbreton. Over 15 days, we will see if they are adapted to each one, to the management of the effort, to their practicality on board, …
In short, you will have understood, we are not going to pretend 🙂 It is much more than a test for us and then finally we enter the concrete sportsman of this project. 1800 km is a first effort of high level, where the performance and the rigor of the waterwomen is essential.
If you have any questions about this, contact us and we’ll talk about it!