Spot on with the timing!

After a boisterous start and the first few bracing miles that involved 25 knots of breeze and chaotic seas, especially as they passed through Hurst Narrows at the exit from the Solent, where they had to deal with two-metre waves, Giancarlo Pedote, Martin Le Pape and their media woman Martina Orsini are this Monday morning making for the south-west tip of England and its famous promontory of Land’s End. “The wind is shifty both in terms of intensity and direction. As a result, there are some fluctuations to be exploited to get past the tip of Cornwall as quickly as possible and then set a course for the Fastnet. It’s interesting because there are quite a few moves to play”, commented the skipper of Prysmian Group, who has managed his race start to perfection and is slugging it out with the Damien Seguin – Benjamin Dutreux pairing, gaining a slight edge at the position report. “In the grand scheme of things, the most complicated section of the race is behind us now as it involved the start phase. Right now, we’re sailing under full main and J2, with 16 to 18 knots of breeze. All’s well aboard”, indicated the Italian skipper, who will soon have to negotiate the three no-go zones that make up the Scilly Isles Traffic Separation Scheme.