The challenge, the primary pleasure

Almost at the midway mark between the Kerguelen Islands and Cape Leeuwin this Friday, Giancarlo is continuing his journey, propelled along at an average speed of between 18 and 20 knots by a 25-knot SW’ly wind, albeit punctuated by numerous squalls. “We’re still riding on the back of the low-pressure system, which is situated to the south-east of us and is in the process of filling in at 1000 hPa”, explained the skipper of Prysmian Group, a tad frustrated this morning at having overcooked his pasta. “It’s not al dente! It’s the first time since the start of the Vendée Globe that I’ve had to eat overcooked pasta and it really isn’t good!” commented the Italian sailor, not without a touch of humour, before alluding to the delights of a circumnavigation of the globe. “The primary pleasure is the challenge. It’s the fact that you’re face to face with something extraordinary, even if it’s impossible to really gauge the ocean. I’m all too aware of its monstrousness and its strength. I’m lucky to be enjoying a prodigious voyage that entails fresh discoveries and a race at the same time, whilst trying to find a way through because, as we all know, it’s essentially the sea which decides that. If she chooses to send a powerful  clout our way, everything can come to a standstill in the blink of an eye”, stresses the Florentine, who in no way plays down the power of the elements that surround him. “I make no secret of the fact that the days drag on sometimes. In the Indian Ocean, you don’t make sail changes in the same way as you do in the Bay of Biscay, where you can easily be called upon to make four sail changes in the space of 24 hours. Right now, we primarily make do with furling in and then unfurling the sails, because conditions are such that you can’t go up forward on the boat. However things play out, I’m very much aware that I’m experiencing something extraordinary; something novel that it’s important to make the most of. Before setting sail, I made a point of not trying to imagine what my Vendée Globe would be like so as to avoid disappointment and retain an element of surprise. I’m continuing to operate in that way whilst I’m in the experience.”