Little wind, but plenty of ambition,   

Some 120 nm (240 km) shy of the leader Giancarlo Pedote, the Italian skipper of Prysmian Group crossed the equator yesterday morning, heralding his return to the North Atlantic. “It’s the ocean of home. I’m beginning to smell the aromas of Italy and France,” said the sailor ironically during his passage 

 

“For now though, it’s complicated to make headway. However hard I look at the satellite images, the grib files and the barometer, when you’re making just 3 knots (6km/hr) it’s hard to move around and reposition yourself. I chose my option so now it’s up to me to set a course northwards so I can make good my escape as quickly as possible from the intertropical convergence zone, which makes the weather so unpredictable.” Battling it out for the Top 5 with Damien SEGUIN (APICIL) and Yannick BESTAVEN (Maitre Coq), Giancarlo will be giving it his all, well aware that this final sprint for home will go down in the history of Vendée Globe.