Giancarlo Pedote: “The Doldrums is a bit of a lottery”

Entering the Doldrums on Wednesday evening, Giancarlo Pedote and Anthony Marchand have put a phenomenal amount of energy into getting their machine making headway. However, it’s not easy to carve out a route through this famous inter-tropical convergence zone. The two sailors on Prysmian Group are being plagued by both a lack of breeze and squalls, which is sure to be a nerve-racking experience. “We’re not making very fast headway and added to that those behind are closing on us. We’re a bit disgusted with the whole thing as boats are passing to the right and left of us. Sometimes, we get going again, but very quickly it slows down. At times, we literally grind to a halt. It’s a bit of a lottery and it really isn’t easy to get a handle on. We’re giving all we’ve got amidst the clouds. We’re multiplying the sail changes and we’re constantly adjusting the trimming, but it never seems like it’s enough”, commented the Italian skipper this Friday morning, shortly before 07:30 UTC, whilst polled at an average of 3 knots. “The Doldrums was mild for the Multi50 but it’s decided to play hardball with us. It’s sprawled right across our path. The way out today is located at 1°30’N, namely around 120 miles to the South of our current position. At this speed, it’ll still be a little while longer and it has to be said that it’s exhausting. It’s not my first passage through this treacle so I know that’s the name of the game. I know that it’s a place where the nerves jangle and where there are no rules. Antho and I are doing our best to get out of its clutches as fast as we can”, assured Giancarlo, who should see the light at the end of the tunnel late tonight or early tomorrow morning.