Slip sliding along offshore of Portugal

Having passed Cape Finisterre at around 02:30 UTC last night by opting for the outside lane at the eponymous TSS (Traffic Separation Scheme), Giancarlo Pedote and Martin Le Pape are currently beginning their downwind passage along the Portuguese coast, propelled along by a N’ly wind of between 20 and 22 knots. “Things are progressing pretty well. There isn’t a lot of sea, which means we can slip along nicely. However, we’re a bit borderline with regards to the capabilities of our spinnaker. We’re holding out that it doesn’t blow but we’re managing to maintain an average speed of between 14 and 15 knots, which is pretty good. We’re gently powering southwards trying to stay in the vein of fairly strong current we’re in right now. It’s all grey. There is low-level cloud but the temperature is beginning to climb gently. Life is pretty good”, commented the co-skipper of Prysmian Group, who’s positioned in 9th place within the IMOCA fleet in the 15th Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre. The rhythm aboard the boat is well trimmed and you can sense that in the way she’s performing. “We’ve got into our routine. Each day at 07:30 and then 19:30 hrs, the new grib files come in. Right now, Martin’s running the routing and together we’re discussing the short, medium and long-term strategies. We sometimes eat together and sometimes it’s a little out of sync. We’re each linking together one-hour watches, but the latter go out the window when a gybe or a sail change is called for”, explained Giancarlo, whose days are largely punctuated by trimming, stacking and various small communication missions, which enable us to share the adventure with the widest possible audience.