Birthday vibes

Birthday vibes This Saturday is a special day for Giancarlo Pedote. Indeed, the skipper of the 60-foot IMOCA in the colours of Prysmian Group and Electriciens sans Frontières is celebrating his 45th birthday. “I’ve received lots of messages. The very first one arrived at 00:02 hours from my friend Adriano. Then I had a chat with my wife, who celebrates her birthday today too. The pair of us were born on the same day of the same year, in the same town and also in the same hospital. Our story was written the moment we were born!” commented the Florentine, before going on to describe the small gifts placed aboard by his family by way of celebration. “I received a mitten from Isabella from when she was small, a drawing of a hamburger by my daughter who knows how much I enjoy eating them from time to time at home, two little figurines – a shark and a little chap – made by my son Aurelio using beads, a sponge in the form of SpongeBob, a character from my favourite cartoon, which is sure to come in handy during my next shower, as well as some Alfajores, which are little Argentinean biscuits that I love. I don’t know how Stefania managed to find them but it’s really wonderful! I couldn’t ask for more! I’m the happiest man on earth!” quipped the sailor, who also made reference to the presence on this special day of a small piece of pizza , though no longer edible, still has that familiar aroma he so loves. “Life is all about the detail. It’s important not to forget that!” pointed out Giancarlo, still very philosophical, especially during what is a tricky period due to a zone of high pressure, which has sprawled across his route and is slowly sliding eastwards at just the same level as the Arctic Exclusion Zone. “It’s rather unusual to have to negotiate high pressure right in the middle of the Pacific at 55° South. My objective right now is to get around this system as best I can and that’s proving to be pretty complicated. You have to weave around a little and try to get the right balance between making headway and not straying too far from the direct course, whilst avoiding getting too close to the centre of this zone where you risk becoming ensnared”, concluded the skipper.