News – Isa Joschke on PF Bonneau – Vendée Globe

The wind has been blowing strong, 35, 40 knots since this morning. The sea is foaming, powerful, indomitable. Sitting in my seat, while my MACSF surfs, I am mesmerised by the spectacle of nature in the wild. Cradled, dazzled, I feel like I am dough kneaded by the elements. For a moment I recall my friend Pierre-François Bonneau and his memories and stories of the Southern Ocean he told me, had stayed with him since his trip aboard the Marion Dufresne. PF left us very suddenly and quierly just a few days before the start of the Vendée Globe. This is a race he loved and his passing barely gave me time to realize that he would not be part of this adventure. Now I miss our exchanges, like his presence and the support he has so often shown since our first meeting in 2008 on Cape Istanbul. PF has often been there for me in difficult times. His generosity, his humor, his finesse have been my travelling companions me since November 8. PF, rest assured, every time I pick up my pen shaken and tossed about in my seat, my first thought is for you. With gratitude.