Hard times for the head in the calm zone

Manuel Cousin (Groupe Setin): “The start of the race was generally favorable to the daggerboard boats. Today the positioning of the  further west is starting to pay off. On the other hand, I was very confused in the east. I'm starting to find time dragging. This is not easy. There are big uncertainties, the two CEP and GFS models are very divergent. One thing is certain: we should not have good weather up north, we see quite strong winds. It will not be easy to get around Iceland but I will do my best. I hope my hydro generator worries are behind me. I managed to work on both. I've been sailing my boat since 2017, I like it a lot, we modified it a lot last winter and I'm really happy, it's much faster than before. I have a special relationship with her, I talk to her sometimes. She is my companion on the road and in adventure. I feel good on board. »

Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil):  “We had to manage big, light windless areas. It was nerve rackingly complicated, off the coast of Ireland, things are not necessarily what is seen on the weather files before we got to this area. But now we have a depression coming from the west and that will help us climb quite quickly towards Iceland. I'm not someone who gets stressed on my boat, I'm quite zen. I hate calm but I stay calm, it's a lot about psychology. I have to manage to keep myself busy, I take the opportunity to call people or listen to podcasts and to avoid going around in circles. I continue to learn my boat, this is my second race on board. It's going quite well. This race will be full of good lessons, we are preparing a major project next winter, changing the foils and certainly part of the bow.”

Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group) “We all know very well that calm can happen at sea. I take this opportunity to check the boat, eat, rest. I've been a solo racer for more than ten years, we have no choice, freaking out doesn't change things. We learn to keep a firm grip mentally and wait for the new wind to arrive. A south-westerly flow should return, I try to find it as quickly as possible so as not to be dropped by my pals.”