(Brest) The Olympic flame embarked on Friday evening in Brest aboard a trimaran to cross the Atlantic and reach Pointe-à-Pitre, in Guadeloupe.
After sailing along the Pointe de La Torche, a renowned surfing site on the French Atlantic coast, the flame arrived at the end of the afternoon at the port of Brest, where thousands of people were waiting for it.
Former Miss France Laury Thilleman lit the cauldron and then brought the flame, enclosed in a lantern, to a 32 meter long trimaran.
For a week, professional skippers will guide her across the Atlantic Ocean with the three-time Olympic athletics champion Marie-José Pérec, the playwright Alexis Michalik, the former Miss France, now a doctor, Marine Ltemporel and the Michelin-starred chef Hugo. Roellinger.
The trimaran left the port under a light wind and on oily seas.
Upon her arrival in Pointe-à-Pitre, scheduled for June 15, it is Marie-José Pérec who will be the first to carry the flame ashore. “For me it’s a great honor,” the 56-year-old told reporters. “It’s a great recognition for all the islands, what they have brought to the sport. It’s also a nice way to say thank you to them.”
“I am the first Olympic champion from Guadeloupe. To think that I am going to bring the flame home is very, very strong,” said the athlete, visibly moved.
Since the flame’s arrival in Marseille aboard the Belem, nearly 1.2 million people have witnessed its journey, according to the Minister of the Interior.