“Happy with what we’ve managed to produce out here”

Some 200 miles from the finish, Giancarlo Pedote and Martin Le Pape continue to be embroiled in an intense battle within the context of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre. Still slugging it out with Fortinet – Best Western and Corum for 6th place, the two men are sparing no effort and can already draw up a positive analysis of their race. “Even before the start, I said to Martin that I’d had some great sensations and that feeling has played out. I believe that we’ve sailed well in terms of both strategy and speed so far. We’ve always been inside the boat’s targets. On a navigation front, it certainly hasn’t been flawless but there have been few mistakes. I’m very happy with the way our duo operates and that said it’s important not to lose focus as we’re still at sea. I never like to pre-empt how things will play out until the finish line is crossed. There are still a few miles to go, some light patches and likely a few obstacles,” commented the Florentine, who is well aware that you must never claim victory too early, especially so in offshore racing. It’s a view shared by Martin Le Pape, he too delighted with how the pair has worked together since setting sail from Le Havre on 7 November. “In principle, it’s our last day at sea. We have mixed feelings about that. We’ll be happy to make the finish but, at the same time, that means it’s the end and it’s been a fantastic transatlantic passage. We’re certainly going to be sorry that some of the time we’ve spent at sea will be over. Several moments have been just magical. We’ve shown that we’re on the pace, that we’ve been able to make the cut and that we’re capable of being out front. We’re happy with what we’ve managed to produce out here”, added Martin, whose latest routing suggests a finish early tomorrow morning UTC.