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Skipper Pedote and Prysmian Group embark on “the Everest of sailing”

On November 8, Prysmian Group and skipper Giancarlo Pedote’s 13-year partnership embarks on its most ambitious and exciting journey yet: the 2020 Vendée Globe round-the-world non-stop solo sailing race.

“Vendee Globe for me is the Everest of sailing,” said  Giancarlo, 44, in an interview as he was getting ready to leave on a solitary voyage that has been known to last for over four months.  “There are a lot more people who have climbed Everest, and a lot more astronauts, than people who have finished the Vendée Globe. So it is an adventure, a challenge, and a very tough competition.”

Giancarlo Pedote

Skipper

Pedote, aboard the Prysmian Group IMOCA 60, and 32 other skippers will depart from Les Sables D'Olonne on the west coast of France on Sunday in the world’s ultimate sailing race, now in its ninth edition.

Competitors in this demanding and sometimes brutal event cannot stop or ask for technical assistance (although they can anchor for repairs). It usually takes about 80 days and covers a total distance of 45,000km (28,000 miles). But it can take a lot longer to complete – and just over half of the boats come across the finish line. In the previous eight editions, some 165 skippers have taken part in the race and just 88 have completed it.

Pedote has spent his final days on land “doing what I always do when I get ready for every race over the past 13 years: check every single detail meticulously,” he says. Neglecting the smallest piece of equipment can snowball into a very serious problem out on the water.

Pedote, who hails from Florence, has been racing professionally for his entire adult life, and needs to stay in very good shape. This race, however, is even more demanding. “Apart from my training on board, I have been swimming with a group of athletes,  and then I do other sports, like surfing, cycling, and more, trying to be in the best shape possible.”

Mental preparation is key. 

“I have been preparing for this race mentally for the past six months,” he says. “I am fully concentrated on it every waking moment, when I sleep, even when I drive. I keep a notebook in my pocket and at any time day or night if I have an idea of how I can improve, I write it down. This work is never over, there is never a break, it’s a loop. 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.”

Prysmian Group began sponsoring Pedote in 2007, when he started in offshore racing. For the Vendée Globe, Prysmian Group and Pedote have partnered with by Electriciens sans frontiers, the French NGO which helps poor populations gain access to electricity and water

“It is a relationship based on trust, of growing together. Now after 13 years of working with  Prysmian, we have reached the starting line of the most important race in the world,” he says.

Although sailing and business may not seem to have much in common at first glance, they share three of the same values. Firstly, both pursuits involve a continuous search for perfection. In Pedote’s case, it means he continually tries to improve the performance of his 60-foot (18.23-meter) ) IMOCA 60 class craft, “which must always be ready to reach the maximum level of its potential.”

Secondly, listening is as important in sailing as it is in business, he says. “When I’m at sea, my ears are my main ally. I try to pick up all the sound son the boat to tell which ones are normal and which ones can signal a malfunction.”

Lastly, and most importantly, integrity and teamwork. Achieving success in a long term project means managing a chain of interconnected events “that flow from your own integrity,” says Pedote.  For people managing a large company, this concept involves creating a team that works closely together to reach a shared goal.”

Pedote’s hard work to qualify for the race has paid off. His ship is ready to sail. Prysmian Group is excited to be supporting this world-class skipper in one of the toughest challenges in sport. We wish him Godspeed!