Departure from the Canary Islands
We find Hugo, The Sailing Frenchman in the Canaries for the start of the second leg of the Mini Transat 2021. He competes in this event on a production boat produced by the IDBmarine shipyard in Brittany: a Maxi 650. Barely 21 feet long, like all the other competitors, it is on board this nutshell that the sailors will face the open sea.
For the moment, the departure is made in the small pleasant time with the heat of the sun which already starts to be present.
From the passage of the ridge of high pressure
In this episode, which recounts the first 3 days of the transatlantic race, Hugo explains how he negotiates a ridge of high pressure. With a very clear diagram, he shows us the right (and wrong) trajectory to follow to cross this kind of weather obstacle.
This choice of route is not obvious when you know that on these small boats, all electronics and connections to land are forbidden. No satellite phone or GRIB file to help you. Only the sailor and the daily HF weather report allow him to manage his strategy choices. And we will see later that it is not easy to make a decision when you are alone at sea
