Vendée Globe

Didac Costa ‘I’ll see what rhythm I can keep’

Didac Costa is on his third round the world race on One Planet One Ocean and is thoroughly at home and happy on the sixth day of racing

How’s it been going Didac?
“Good good. Well it’s been 5 days, but I feel like it has been many more because the weather has been changing and I’ve been getting familiar with the rhythm of the boat. Everything feels quite new for me after so long without solo sailing. I am happy, but also a little tired because there have been many changes, but I’m doing ok.“

How have you felt between passing the front, then having times of no wind, starting again and now waiting for the tropical depression?

“I had already been following it because of the wind forecast, so I knew that I would find these situations, but it has been strange, hasn’t it? So much variability in so few days, but I am still happy with how I have been able to leave each of these zones. It is true that those in front are now far from me, but it is something that you could expect and right now, I’m waiting to get past the depression which seems like it will no longer fully impact me so I hope there will be no problems onboard.”

What are your current conditions? What is the weather like at the moment?

“Now I have about 19 – 20 knots northeast and yes, it is true that there is a little bit of crossed seas but it is a little less than I would expect. The waves are not too steep but they roll quite a lot, so the boat is going quite well and I hope the wind will rise in the next few hours. Probably soon there will be a gybe to take me away from the area of more wind, but I still have to decide when I will do this, if I wait a little or later… “

How did you feel at the start of the Vendée Globe? What were your impressions, did you enjoy the start?

“It was very exciting. But I especially enjoyed it once it officially started and I left Sables d’Olonne – leaving behind all the procedures and last checkups of the day before, and with all the complications of the starting line, I must confess I was a little nervous. But it all went away once I left and started taking on the rhythm of the boat little by little. I was also missing some things that we had installed in Les Sables so I had doubts on how I would handle it, but after leaving, I saw that everything was going well. I was very excited by the feeling of knowing that there is much ahead and mainly a little mix of the two things: a little of the intrigue for what will happen because there are still 100 days of sailing, and then the happiness of finally having taken the start. “

What has been the best moment so far?

“It is difficult to choose, but maybe when I passed the first front east of Portugal; that was an encouraging moment. Everything went very well, the process of changing sails, all the maneuvers which are always complex and this is something that I had not had much time to practice, but everything went smoothly. The maneuvers were good, I did not break anything and truth be told, when I passed it I was very happy to have overcome this first test. It also gave me a boost of confidence to continue the rest of the round the world tour. “

And how are you feeling physically, have you been able to rest, even a little, despite all the changes?

“Some days more, some days less, but last night was quite calm. They have been very intense days, some where I’ve had more anxiety. Overall, I have had little rest and have found it hard to find time in which I can relax. “

Any strategy you have in mind for the next few days? How do you feel vs. the rest of the fleet? How is the good ship One Planet One Ocean

“I was intrigued to how the boat would perform against the others because it is a very old boat, although we have made some improvements. As expected, I am now in the back of the fleet, which was something that I had already imagined. But in this moment of the race and with some of the other boats that are still around me, I’ll see what rhythm I can keep. If there is a boat that tries to get closer, I will try to overtake it, depending on how things are going. As the race itself has just begun, with so many changes and so much variability, we haven’t been able to see how far each of us can go and show our maximal potential. “

Adios