THE MARINER vs. THE SEA

THE SAILOR WAS TRAPPED INSIDE THE FLOODING CABIN OF HIS OVERTURNED BOAT. AS THE HOURS SLIPPED BY, SO DID HIS CHANCES.

- Lisa Fitterman

IT'S JUST PAST 8 P.M. ON AUGUST 1 Laurent Camprubi is about 15 miles off the coast of northwestern Spain, hoisting the mainsail on the deck of the 39-foot sailboat Jeanne. Ever since he left Lisbon, Portugal, the day before, he has been fighting the elements. But he is in his element too.

Camprubi is aiming to qualify for the Route du Rhum, a 4,077-mile race held every four years from Saint-Malo in France to Guadeloupe, a group of islands in the Caribbean. On a night that's anything but calm, the solo athlete is tacking, adjusting, to ensure that the vessel gets to its destination of Cherbourg, France, about 1,050 miles to the northeast. After more than 12 hours of sailing, Camprubi decides to take a much-needed break. While a beacon automatically broadcasts his position to Route du Rhum organizers every 15 minutes, the waves batter the Jeanne in a language all their own: screams, whistles, crashes, roars.

He knows that in the distance is the craggy peninsula Cape Finisterre, or "end of the world," but 6-to-10-foot waves have turned his surroundings into a uniform dark gray.

Tall and lanky, the 62-year-old has been sailing since his 20s and is eager to tackle the Route du Rhum, which he considers "the Everest of sailing." A stylist for a Portugal-based fashion footwear company, Camprubi lives with his partner, Virginie Philip, and their two children in Marseilles, where he has been training for months. The race would be a test of strength and perseverance, and Camprubi, a lifelong cyclist and runner, has also been doing weight training to build his core muscles so that he will be better able to keep his balance in rough seas. And tonight, it is indeed rough.