The news came during the night. Anne Quéméré was forced to abandon the Adrien Challenge of crossing the Pacific by kite and without assistance. "I must take this unfortunate decision and it is one of the most difficult taken in my lifetime" stated Anne, during the night.
She left San Francisco on November 4th and traveled close to 3500 kilometers over the 7000 that had been projected.
After a period of good sailing, Anne Quéméré joined the Intertropical convergence zone, otherwise known as the Doldrums.
Since her arrival in that area, aboard the Oceankite she did not succeed in advancing any significant distance.
Then came the "shock" of four days past when the kite was torn and the pulley system permanently damaged.
"After the shock to the Oceankite over a week ago, I had great difficulty myself, recovering from this event. It's as traumatic as one suffers after an automobile accident. I've lost confidence in my equipment as well as myself. It's not pleasant but, it's obvious. Without wind, one goes nowhere."
There hasn't been any wind for the past ten days or what wind there was, came from the South which was pushing the Oceankite back on its track. "In one night, I lost all the mileage I had gained in one week" she explained over the phone during the night.
And, if that wasn't enough, there's no more power onboard, since this morning. Anne Quéméré was rescued overnight by the container ship « Cap Gris-Nez ».
The rescue went well as the huge container ship came by the small 5.5-meter Oceankite. Conditions did not allow to pick up the small vessel which was ultimately abandoned.
Anne will be dropped off in Panama on Saturday, December 13th where her father, Ronan Quéméré will meet her and accompany her back to France.
From the sponsor's point of view, Adrien, Bretagne International and Yslab, they have already made their position clear. The safety of Anne is the priority.