Skirting the Mauritanian coast

This Monday, whilst making headway just twenty miles or so offshore of Mauritania and lying in 7th place within the IMOCA fleet in the Transat Jacques Vabre, Giancarlo Pedote and Martin Le Pape are making the most of the relatively bracing conditions, though they’re having to be vigilant due to the numerous craft criss-crossing this zone so close to shore. “We’re sailing in a NE’ly breeze, which is slightly stronger than forecast at between 20 and 25 knots. There’s water all over the deck and we’re making headway really quickly. The sea is pretty organised and it’s pleasant even though the temperatures are strangely cooler than yesterday. We’ve put our jackets, leggings and foulie bottoms back on”, commented the skipper of Prysmian Group, who is already anticipating their passage through the doldrums. “We’re hoping that our run on starboard tack to reposition ourselves to the west will not be too unfavourable. In the meantime, we’re happy to be where we are”, added the skipper, whose pairing with Martin seems to be working really well. “We have a laugh and we have fun, even though our primary focus is to try to get the boat making headway fast and in the right direction of course. Everything is done with good humour, which naturally makes things easier”, explained Giancarlo, who makes no secret of how happy he is to be back at sea again after his recent round the world. “It’s great to be offshore again competing in such a long race following on from the Vendée Globe. When you sail singlehanded, you feel everything more powerfully and intensely. You end up in an extreme state of fatigue at times. That’s different to sailing double-handed. You can really push the boat hard and be constantly making headway at the machine’s target speed. Martin and I are well organised. We wake each other up several times during our watches if there is any doubt so we can make any decisions together. We’re a great team!”