12-hour drive from Milan to Les Sables to pay tribute to Giancarlo Pedote

The Vendée Globe is the toughest and most extreme solo race around the world. An extreme challenge, for super sailors, but also a human adventure of passion, total dedication and lessons that remain for a lifetime. And the skippers who participate in the Vendée Globe are a source of inspiration for those who follow them from land, for those who dream through their exploits, for those who listen to their words to also draw inspiration from them for their own personal challenges and adventures, whether in the Ocean or on land. The story we are telling you is that of two enthusiasts, readers of the Giornale della Vela, and great fans of Giancarlo Pedote, Stefano and Alessandro, who decided to leave by car and reach Les Sables d’Olonne for the arrival of the Italian with his Prysmian.

Waiting for Giancarlo Pedote – The Tale of Stefano and Alessandro

Monday, February 3, 2:22 p.m.. WhatsApp: beep beep!

Stefano: “Ale, here comes Pedote.” Me: “Are we going to aux Sables d’Olonne?”

Stephen: “By car it’s an 11h26min drive.” Me: “Giancarlo is 175 miles from arrival, from the

I see it’s going 9 knots. In 19h it has arrived.” Stephen: “Got it, let’s go!”

It is 8:30 p.m. when I get into the car next to Stephen’s destination Les Sables d’Olonne, a town overlooking the ocean north of the Bay of Biscay in France. It is the temple of offshore sailing, from there we set out to sail the oceans. Distance from Milan 1,200km. Thus began a completely improvised 12-hour journey. A journey held together by the desire to see that feat we had been following for months with cell phone in hand. We were not satisfied with 85 days of Reel on Instagram we wanted to go and see an incredible story in person. In this departure the support of our wives plays a determined role “but when do you get to go again? Go there!” they replied to us. In the car we had little, almost nothing. A toothbrush, a cap, a pc. Be that as it may, some sudden work urgency….

Giancarlo Pedote is a skipper. He represents the excellence of Italian offshore sailing. He is the only skipper to represent our country in this challenge. The Vendee Globe is a solo race, a circumnavigation of the globe without stops and assistance. It takes four years of self-denial and tenacity to prepare. But for such a challenge you are never ready. You have to work relentlessly without losing sight, relationships, family, sponsor, fitness, boat, psychological preparation, everything.

This is an impossible feat. Giancarlo, he was not expecting us. He did not even know of our existence, of our program. As soon as they left I wrote him a message on Instagram, “Great Gianca, we left from Milan to come and meet you, hope we can meet you!” I tell Stephen who smiled, it was dark, Giancarlo was off the finish line in the Bay of Gascony. Virtually impossible to hope that he could read that message. We drive all night alternating, dawn arrives our journey proceeds. Giancarlo shoots the last video before arrival. In the video we hear him say, “There are even people who came for me from far away.” . Excitedly we burst out laughing, we can’t believe it. He talks about us, he read the message! At 9:00 a.m., we arrive at our destination. The road to the harbor filled with tarps with photographs of the skippers participating in this regatta. We take a picture together with his photograph.

Perhaps it will be the only one we take home. When we arrive in the harbor we see him arrive, he is standing at the bow of his boat, the sponsor signs on the side of the boat eroded by the waves. He greets the flood of people who were there to welcome the four skippers who arrived that morning. Amid music, fireworks we find the breath to shout “Great Giancarlo, we are here, we are the ones who left from Milan.” Our shouts fade into the noise of the crowd.

Along with Giancarlo that morning comes Le Cam, a legend of the oceans. He is 65 years old and in his sixth year. Unbelievable. There is also Isabelle Joschke, yes yes indeed a woman, and Conrad Colman. The level of these sailors is very high. A tent door opens, we squeeze in we are squashed like sardines. There is a press conference of those who arrived that morning. The distance covered by the skippers is so great that the skippers arrive days apart. The route is about 25,000 nautical miles (46,000 km) long Giancarlo will be the last to speak. We also meet Jakidale, Youtuber with more than 2Mln subscribers. He is here also fascinated by Giancarlo’s adventure ready to make a video to tell about his feat.

Soon Giancarlo speaks we slip into a hallway, there he is. We shout to him, “Giancarlo!!! How nice to meet you.” He smiles at us, our dream is a reality. We take a ton of photos with him, us with a goofy smile and wiped out from the 12 h car ride he is in great shape after 85 days alone at sea between storms, icebergs and equator crossings in the convergence zones where the wind is not.

It does not seem true to us that after all this he can find the will and time to be with us. Giancarlo expresses his disappointment, he is not happy with the finishing position. He is in his second participation, the first time he finished eighth, it is an incredible result, this time 22nd. Everything has happened to him. He is a sportsman, for him the result is essential.

We walk away in embarrassment for wasting his time. We take a walk around the dock and as we approach his boat we hear a boy come running up and yell “who is that from Milan?” We don’t believe it, we smile at him and reply in a low voice “here we are, it’s us.” He tells us that Giancarlo is sorry that he cannot devote time to us. He came to give us a tour of the boat. No one from the audience is allowed to, it seems like a dream to us.

The boat is incredible; it has obvious signs of the battles fought at sea among waves, storms, storms. It feels like visiting an exhibit made of objects and tools to fight the extreme conditions that await you in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific, the frigid Indian. Giancarlo coordinated everything. To perform that feat you have to be not just a skipper but a multifaceted figure. You have to manage all the aspects of a very complex race, relationships with sponsors, coordinating the team, balancing with your personal life.

The teams that arrived first have many resources, very large staffs, and newer boats than yours. You only find out about these dynamics if you go there; social media doesn’t tell you about them! We get off the boat and meet Stefania, his wife; she stayed with her children on the dock. They too are heroes for supporting and enduring such a challenge. As Giancarlo says: the Vendée Globe is a family project, without the support of the family you can’t make it.Giancarlo has been humbly telling thousands of people who follow him every day about what he has experienced. Social channels have been the megaphone of this adventure.

His videos are not a logbook but lessons in philosophy, sincere representations in which you tell about the obstacles you go through in the oceans when you are alone, the solutions you adopt, the spirit you must maintain. You must always look far beyond individual setbacks without being demoralized. That seems to be the only way to get to the goal. This edition was very hard for him, he collected a dense series of unforeseen events. Strategy, routage (the choice of routes), breakdowns and so much more become ingredients of a journey that puts you to the test. Giancarlo came home with a rudder failure!

In his account you discover how individual adventures are chapters in a book, steps that lead to the finish line. The sea is a wonderful metaphor, and this is an extraordinary tale. It is the tale of the world’s best prepared skippers, of a great man. If you go to Giancarlo you are impressed by his physical size, his sincere look, his straight hair and an incredible dose of humility.

The Vendee Globe, is not just the Everest of the seas, it is a solemn life lesson. It is a story that takes on universal significance. It tells us how the pursuit of one’s goal is accompanied by difficult moments to be overcome with authenticity and genuine humanity. These are not lessons you find everywhere. This tale can inspire readers from all backgrounds, from all walks of life. Giancarlo’s work is not told enough; it is hard to find it in newspapers. All of it surely deserves more. His example represents a story of sporting excellence and personal resilience. We leave for Milan again with the knowledge that every goal requires special preparation. Tenacity and determination become essential ingredients to hold it all together.

Giancarlo, you won!

Good wind,

Alessandro Di Lelio