Friday, May 1 (Day 11) at 9:01 p.m.
“We’re digging up the hatchet!”
I’d been waiting for this for a while – this phase reversal and the stronger wind from astern than from ahead. More pressure now for Laudato and PersaiVert – that’s good news! It lasts a few hours and hey presto, we’ve gained 10 miles: good for morale. Since we left Mauritania, the wind angle has been ideal for maintaining good speeds without the stress of strong winds. I pushed hard under the A2 yesterday afternoon and evening, and kept it going as hard as was sensible!
The change to the A3 spinnaker was quickly sorted, and I had a great night on the doors (the boat planing with a good heel angle). I spend a little while fine-tuning my autopilot and the spinnaker settings, as it accelerates very, very quickly when surfing and I’m always on the verge of ‘losing’ the spinnaker on its luff. Once everything’s sorted, I settle into the stern of the boat and enjoy the simply brilliant spectacle. The moon is full and the light is exceptional. I soak up this moment of pure bliss.
As I’m at the chart table, I get a VHF call from Régis, who’s been a few miles ahead of me with Clémence for several days now. I’ve managed to make up a few miles, but he must still be about 10 miles ahead. In fact, he’s calling to warn me to be careful, as I’m very close, with a significant speed difference since they had to lower the spinnaker after the failure of the lowering system for his port rudder.
I do indeed pass by five minutes later, very close, under spinnaker at 15 knots. We discuss the damage and repair options over the VHF. Régis is extremely well-prepared and always keeps his cool: they have everything they need on board to get going again. On the other 1050s, we’ve installed a dual system just in case. I realise that’s no luxury! A few hours later, Laudato is back up to the same speeds as the leading group under spinnaker, which means everything’s OK on board.
The night wasn’t conducive to sleep: nothing, but having covered 294 nautical miles over ground, PersaiVert achieved the best score over the last 24 hours. We’re now working on the approach to the Cape Verde Islands before heading further towards the Caribbean. It’s going to be a close race…
Sunday 3 May (Day 13) at 18:16
‘Saudade*’
When we last spoke, Cape Verde was well within sight. We had two possible strategies: to head closer to the islands, or even sail between some of them, to take advantage of a wind tunnel. Only Aruba will attempt a route between the islands, whilst the chasing group will skim past the northernmost island of Santo Antao and slip into the outer wind accelerations. On the Pogo, the southern route was a bit complicated, even counterproductive to the finish, in order to stay in the wind currents and avoid the lee sides of the islands.
On the western front, Alex handled it perfectly, with a pif-paf in the right spot and a boost as he passed. Ose and Midnight Blues are also right there, within a hair’s breadth. It’s mad, this race in the leading group where nobody wants to give an inch. In terms of rating, everyone is neck and neck, except Aruba, who’s opted to put as much sail area as possible up (spinnaker, mainsail), which means he has to pull away, with 8 hours to make up at the finish!
On PersaiVert, the plan is to catch up before considering anything else! It’s a patient task for a guy who’s not patient at all!! Luckily, I’m not biting my nails: I’d have no fingers left.
My position is slightly off to the north and I’m trying to optimise my course to save miles and open up my options based on the latest weather files. As I passed Cape Verde, I stayed 25–30 miles to the north of it to avoid a possible wind shadow zone around the islands (apparently, no one else experienced it!).
Since then, I’ve been sailing 30 miles upwind of everyone else and, mechanically, I’ve halved my deficit. At the worst of it, I was 50 miles behind Alex; today, 25, but we’re talking about distance to the finish and everything will come down to the upcoming southerly shift and the wind veering right.
So it’s frustrating not even to have seen the stunning islands of Cape Verde, but perhaps even worse to see the islands without stopping there! Since then, I’ve been making up for it: I’m listening to nothing but Cesaria Evora and it’s doing me a world of good.
As for speed, it’s been pretty fast these last few days, with a good flow pushing us along. A2, A3, A2.5: we’re spinning the spinnakers and going for it, it’s brilliant. No one’s giving up and it’s really intense. A battle between the solo boats, another between the double-handed boats, another between solos and doubles: there’s nothing but fierce competitors up front and the action is right there.
On the solo side, I’m starting to feel a bit tired, but sometimes I stay on deck at night just for the pleasure of watching the Pixel autopilot, which is doing a brilliant job: it accelerates and then, with a quick jab of the tiller, launches the boat like a rocket. With the moon lighting up the course, the spectacle is magnificent.
Temperatures are rising gently and this morning, it’s a ‘wake-up shower’. It’s still tonic, but what a joy to start the day like this, followed by a homemade brunch — basically a ‘throw-it-all-in’ of whatever’s lying at the back of the fridge! I’d give it an average mark for presentation, but a solid 16/20 for taste.
There you go, I’m feeling good and my Sunday looks set to be a nice one…
— JP aboard PERSAIVERT
*At the mention of Cape Verde, everyone feels a mixture of fascination and melancholy. Saudade, so beautifully sung by Cesaria Evora, is that sweet feeling, both happy and nostalgic, about the perception of time gone by.
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