After leaving Cape Finisterre and its Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in his wake, Éric Pilato hasn't exactly enjoyed the relaxation he was hoping for. Off the Portuguese coast, Skiboo 2 has just endured a particularly rough spell: 30 knots of sustained wind, gusts reaching 40 knots and swells of over 10 feet (3 m). Fortunately, the swell is coming from astern.
Published 09/10/2026
Since Thursday afternoon, the Excess 11 has been sailing with three reefs in the mainsail and just “a tiny scrap of sail up front.” And despite the drastically reduced sail area, “she's really flying,” says Éric. Surfing at 11 or 12 knots has become routine, and the skipper even saw 15 knots appear on the display. “I didn't even have time to record it, but I saw it on the screen and it was… wow!”
At 4:30 am, when Éric sends us these images, he still hasn't slept. In these conditions, there's no question of leaving his watch during the night. The situation is exhausting, more because of the constant movement and noise than the catamaran's behavior. Once properly trimmed and settled on course, Éric actually finds his Excess remarkably stable: despite a few sudden deviations, she returns to her heading on her own.
“It's tiring because she takes off and because there's so much, so much noise.” After almost 24 hours in these conditions, the skipper is now waiting for the lull forecast for the morning. And the weather could soon bring him the opposite extreme: dead calm in two or three days. “I don't know which I'll prefer… But I reckon you get a bit more rest in the calms. You go slower, but you get a bit more rest!”
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