On 8 October we did a big offshore training session with Charal, hours of sailing side by side to see where we stand.

On 14 October it was Port-la-Forêt's turn, with a false solo session that simulated the start of the Route du Rhum: the coaches had set up a no-go zone to simulate the Breton coast. The sailing went very well, right up until the unexpected: a ballast pipe came loose and an enormous amount of water got into the boat, more than 2,000 litres to bail out. Allagrande Mapei took an unscheduled swim, with the batteries underwater and the engine almost submerged.

For Ambrogio it was a real scare, but it turned out fine: two weeks before the Route du Rhum, the damage could have been almost irreparable, and instead we got more of a fright than real damage. Still, it's not the kind of work you'd want to be doing right before a big race. The technical team put everything back in order, replacing the alternators and several electrical cables. The price was a day's delay: we reached Saint-Malo a day after everyone else, to finish our preparation there.

The delivery trip to Saint-Malo was beautiful: flat sea and light wind, yet the boat still took off brilliantly, foiling in very little breeze downwind (early fly). Impressive to watch.

At the village, intense days: interviews, filming, lots of finishing touches on board and boat visits for Mapei. Among our guests were colleagues from Mapei France, who came to see Allagrande Mapei up close and meet the team a few days before the start. A way of sharing with those who support us the atmosphere of these days and the work that goes into a start like this one.

Then the storm arrived. The boats were moved to secure the area, while gusts of over 70 knots, with a 55-knot average, swept over the town. Working on board was difficult and we had to sleep on the boat to make sure everything was fine, but seeing Saint-Malo and its ramparts battered by waves and wind was still a fascinating spectacle.

Before the marathon of the final week, Ambrogio went home for three days to get a bit of rest. Then it all started again: back-to-back interviews, weather preparation and a thousand other commitments.

Meanwhile, in our container, the team would gather for group lunches.

There were crowds of people at the village.

Back in Saint-Malo, Ambrogio also answered questions from Sailorz.

And from Saily, with Francesca Frazza.

Then the final preparations on board, including setting up the spare equipment, the kind we hope never to use.

On Thursday 29 October, at the Saint-Malo village, we organised the press conference of the Onda Oceanica Italiana (the Italian ocean wave). Six Italian skippers came together for the occasion: never so many at a Route du Rhum, with four in 2022 and two in 2018. After France, Italy is the most represented nation at the start. A growth that shows an Italian ocean racing scene increasingly capable of building competitive projects, even in solo racing, a discipline historically dominated by the French, thanks also to major companies investing in this wonderful sport.

As before every big start, Ambrogio analysed the weather situation in a Gazzetta del Cammellone dedicated to the Route du Rhum. An unexpected forecast for this historic transatlantic. The start will be downwind under a big anticyclone: in other words, a magnificent start in the sunshine.

To avoid clogging up the locks tomorrow, the IMOCAs left this morning and tied up to a buoy. A thrilling moment, with a huge crowd, but above all our new club of "ultras", the Bogino KOP OFFICIAL, and a group of Italians who had driven up from Tuscany in a van, buzzing with excitement, who created a proper stadium atmosphere.

To follow the race, we've prepared a special map. As well as the boats' positions, you'll find links to scientific insights into the life and health of the North Atlantic: for example on currents, the Sargasso Sea and the so-called North Atlantic Garbage Patch. The filter can be removed at any time so it doesn't get in the way of following the race, and another link takes you to our website, where you can follow meteorology lessons.

Tomorrow's start, on Sunday 1 November, will be broadcast live on YouTube, in English.

The race begins tomorrow and we'll tell the story day by day, with a news article every morning on the website and all the videos and photos on social media. See you soon with the first news from the Atlantic.