La Guyader - Bermudes 1000 race, the first major test for the revamped Prysmian Group
by Giancarlo Pedote 7 May 2022 08:34 PDT
8 May 2022
Giancarlo Pedote, Prysmian Group © Prysmian Group
Following an ambitious winter refit, which focused on modifications to the bow of the 60-foot monohull in the colours of Prysmian Group, Giancarlo Pedote and his team have pulled out all the stops over recent weeks to ensure they make the start of the first of four events, which count towards the IMOCA Globe Series 2022: La Guyader - Bermudes 1000 Race, which is due to set sail on 8 May from Brest.
Indeed, the Italian sailor and his team have achieved the impossible almost by relaunching the boat on 27 April. As a result, the Florentine will now form part of the line-up, with multiple objectives: to validate the modifications made to his steed, to qualify for both the Vendée - Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne and the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, as well as to rack up some precious miles with a view to the Vendée Globe.
The 60-foot IMOCA Prysmian Group has undergone a significant refit over recent months. In addition to replacing the old bow with a new, fuller section to enhance performance in the cross seas synonymous with a round the world passage, Giancarlo Pedote, who teamed up with the naval architecture firm VPLP and the Gepeto Composite yard in Lorient, also fitted a new bowsprit, a new J3 chainplate and then swapped out the Nomex (high-performance synthetic fibre) in anticipation of the installation of some new foils by 2023.
"A full-scale commando operation was required in our bid to stick to the schedule we'd set ourselves. We succeeded in relaunching her last Wednesday and my heartfelt thanks go out to all my team for their hard work. It wasn't plain sailing, and it required a great deal of effort and sacrifice on the part of everyone involved, but it means that I can take the start of La Guyader - Bermudes 1000 Race as planned. It's been a great success," enthuses the sailor, as he completes what has been a genuine race against the clock and begins a new phase in his preparation for this 2022 season.
An opportunity to push pedal to the metal
"We went out for two technical test sails yesterday and the day before yesterday. This first event, which comes very early in the racing calendar, will give me the chance to find my bearings on the boat again, discover some of the new sensations and also see if everything's working as it should when we push pedal to the metal," says the skipper of Prysmian Group, whose main focus in this first event is the technical details, though he also intends to defend the third place he secured in the previous edition of the race in 2019 as best he can.
"I'm keen to sail a good race though it's a stellar line-up with some 24 boats at the start and my main focus will be on qualifying for the Vendée - Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne and the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, which are respectively scheduled for June and November of this year," notes Giancarlo, who will set sail from Lorient this coming Wednesday at around 16:00 hours local time to make for Brest, the start venue for the event.
"I plan to make this delivery trip with two crew so I can make a thorough check of the sails, as well as the hydrogenerator, the power, the engine charging and the autopilots," explained the sailor, who should benefit from some very calm conditions. In fact, it may well be too calm...
"La Guyader - Bermudes 1000 Race, with its 1,200-mile course between the Fastnet lighthouse and Cape Finisterre, will be the first proper sail for the boat in her new format. In any case, it will be the first time where it will be possible to push her hard and get a true sense of how successful the modifications are," concluded Giancarlo Pedote, who will be in position in Brest's Marina du Château from Friday.