These are tricky times. They must be completely ready. It's not easy to prepare, when you have so many interviews to do, so many hands to shake, so many autographs to sign, so many explanations and stories to tell. Everyone will tell you, these exceptional sailors remain approachable, in no way the stars. Remaining humble is one of the virtues of the sailor. The sea often reminds them of what they would otherwise forget.
Among those admirers, there are the members of the firm, whose colours they are displaying. For them, it is as if they were going around the world. So the skipper knows that they must remain available, even if they would like to be alone to be able to concentrate before the gun is fired.
They do however need to be protected. In this rainy autumn in the middle of this crowd of anonymous fans, there are bugs. Several skippers are complaining of coughs, sore throats and headaches. Nothing serious but setting sail with a heavy cold or sore throat is far from ideal in this crucial phase leading up to the first days of racing, where they need to be in the best of shape to get up in the leading pack.
Putting them into quarantine before the start for a few days would be wise, as that is what happens to astronauts, but I fear the media and sponsors would not agree. Later and further on, things will improve. The sea is an environment, where bacteria do not thrive. The risk of an epidemic is therefore almost nil. For the moment and while they are physically accessible, I can monitor them closely and take care of them.
Once at sea, they will be able to use their medicine chest. This is vital in helping them cope with any medical incidents during the race.
Like the assistants in the shore teams, I ask myself, if I have remembered everything. Not so simple. The list of product has to remain reasonable, easy to use when you are alone at sea, while being able to deal with a maximum number of problems. The weight aspect is limited, so they cannot take on board a cottage hospital. There are indeed more than one hundred products in their medicine chest, which is only just above 5 kg, the details of which we will give you in a future article.
Inside the boats, in these hermit-like conditions, where we can only wonder how they will cope with the violent movements, I have paid particular attention to the means of communication. This is the vital link between the racers and myself. If there is no satellite connection, there is no connection possible. Fortunately several systems are available. If everything fails, there must still be the means to know whether everything is fine on board.
When a medical problem arises, thanks to the symptoms and pictures received, I will be able to interpret what has happened or the sickness they have contracted. When you are completely isolated, telemedicine is the only way. That is why the Vendée Globe is a real lab in these circumstances.
This year with the help of Europ Assistance, we will be establishing a virtual patient generated by all of the information that the competitors transmit to us about their real living conditions. We can respond by offering them the best treatment possible from a distance. This Remote Control Aid is a tool aimed at bringing the patient and doctor together. In spite of the distance.
Thus, going beyond the feat, the Vendée Globe racers will be the leading figures in this new area of medicine, where technology eliminates the distance to offer the best care, in spite of the fact that they are alone.
Dr Jean-Yves Chauve
