Use it Again! logbook - Episode 4
2022-01-25
January 2022: Cast off!
After several weeks of waiting, Romain Pilliard and Alex Pella have finally set off on their westabout round-the-world record attempt. With a departure on Tuesday, January 4, between the lighthouse of Pen Men and Kerroc'h, they will have to be back before May 7, 2022 and cover nearly 30,000 nautical miles. A few minutes before embarking, Alex explained: "We have to do less than 122 days at sea. If we do 121, we will be happy".
After only 4 days at sea, the two sailors were already well underway and were more than 300 miles ahead of Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, the current record holder.
For two weeks now, the sailors of the trimaran Use It Again! have been facing the vagaries of the sea and the weather: • A few hours after the start, the Franco-Spanish duo was going through a "big squall" episode before passing Cape Finistere. The raincoats did not stay dry for long! • In the waters of the Bay of Biscay, they had to face a very capricious sea and 3-meter waves. Do you suffer from seasickness? • Off Mauritania, it was a rain straight from the desert that landed on the trimaran, covering the boat entirely with a layer of red sand. It's a bad timing, Romain hates sand... Despite all these ups and downs, the skippers were rewarded with a day in the sun off Cape Verde. In one of his daily messages to his teams, Romain said: "I have to admit that it tastes like a boat cruise today". The calm after the storm, after all!
Day after day, Alex and Romain let themselves be charmed by the immensity of the ecosystem that surrounds them. Seabirds, dolphins and breathtaking sunsets are sources of daily motivation. Sometimes, the sea even reserves some beautiful encounters: as early as the 5th day, Romain was attacked by a flying fish that came to say hi 😉
Now, the two sailors have passed the equator, first marker of their round-the-world trip, and are more than 1000 miles ahead of the record to beat. They are now sailing along the Brazilian coast to pass their second marker: Cape Horn. The passage of this stage will be one of the most technical moments of this round-the-world race.
Until then, if you want to follow the progress of the trimaran live, go here.
See you soon for the continuation of the Use It Again! adventures!